House Speaker Mike Johnson found himself on the defensive during a tense appearance on CNN News Central, where host John Berman grilled him on two hot-button issues: Ghislaine Maxwell’s recent prison interview and the alarming crime rate in Johnson’s hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. Rather than offer clarity, Johnson gave evasive answers that raised more questions than they resolved.
Berman began by pressing the Speaker on Maxwell’s interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. Now housed in a minimum-security federal prison camp, the convicted Epstein accomplice claimed she had “never witnessed President Donald Trump behaving inappropriately with women or girls of any age.”
Johnson’s discomfort was immediate and visible.
“You could actually see his face turn,” Berman said afterward. “I mean, he really could not possibly hold her in lower regard, so he told me he discounts everything she says.”
But instead of using the moment to confront the broader implications of Maxwell’s statement or Epstein’s ties to political elites, Johnson deflected. Berman pivoted to the ongoing discharge petition circulating in Congress — a bipartisan effort by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) that could force legislative action. Johnson avoided giving a direct stance.
“Speaker Johnson really seems to think that maybe the conditions have changed, maybe that won’t be something that’s followed through with with 218 signatures,” Berman explained. “So stand by for that, he won’t give a solid answer.”
The avoidance continued when Berman raised the issue of violent crime — specifically, why President Trump has focused on deploying the National Guard to Democratic-led cities like Washington, D.C., but not to Republican-controlled areas like Johnson’s own district, where crime rates are significantly higher.
“It is interesting to hear the way Speaker Johnson does talk about that,” Berman noted. “Because the only cities where President Trump has talked about sending National Guard are in states run by Democrats.”
“There are high crime cities in states run by Republicans like Louisiana, like Tennessee,” he continued. “Nashville and Memphis have higher crime rates, but you don’t hear the administration or senior Republicans talk about sending the National Guard there.”
Johnson offered no compelling explanation for the disparity — sidestepping yet another uncomfortable reality.
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