- [HOST] That's Ron Johnson,
a Republican Senator from Wisconsin
doing the old fake a phone call bit to avoid the hot seat.
Even if you use this move
in the most banal of circumstances,
like getting out of a horrible conversation
with an immediate relative
who thinks working remotely isn't work, no one believes it.
Try it while facing allegations
of ushering in votes that don't exist?
(laughs)
Oh man.
Johnson is now answering the call to run for re-election
to the Senate, but who is he?
While he often touts his work ethic
as the reason for all his successes,
he conveniently leaves out the whole nepotism part,
where he married the daughter of a billionaire
and became CEO of a plastic packaging company
reportedly propped up by his father-in-law.
Johnson later purchased the company.
In 2010, Johnson ran for Senate.
He defeated and unseated the Democratic incumbent
with roughly 52% of the vote
and became Wisconsin's first Republican senator since 1986.
Johnson narrowly won re-election in 2016
with the support of three wealthy donors
who benefited from a provision
in Trump's signature 2017 tax bill
that Johnson helped push through.
Billionaires Diane Hendricks,
along with Dick and Liz Uihlein,
coughed up $20 million to PACs
backing Johnson's re-election bid.
Later, Johnson withheld his vote from Trump's signature bill
unless it could be reworked to include a provision
that would benefit businesses like his plastics company
and result in fattening the pockets of his wealthy donors,
as well as many other folks who have a net worth
of what looks like a calculator
that's been left with a button-smashing toddler.
It paid off.
Johnson's request was actioned, he voted for it,
and his rich buddies scored $215 million in deductions
in 2018 alone, according to ProPublica.
The news outlet notes,
In 2022, Johnson confirmed that he along with his donors,
benefited from the bill.
- [HOST] The only issue here is that
the ultra-wealthy overwhelmingly benefited.
The rest of the country was put on the back burner
while Waystar Royco folks got a bigger break
than people who don't take helicopters to work.
And now, in Johnson's second re-election campaign,
those same billionaire donors have tossed
$9.5 million into a PAC backing him,
which some might consider an investment
that could pay dividends for America's wealthiest.
One of Johnson's biggest moves though,
wasn't a tax break for his rich friends,
but rather his part in the attempt to overthrow democracy
for his weird friend from "Home Alone 2".
- Excuse me, where's the lobby?
- Down the hall into the left.
- On January 6, in the lead-up to congress certifying
Joe Biden's presidential victory,
Johnson orchestrated an effort to deliver alternate slates
of Trump electors from Michigan and Wisconsin
to then-Vice President, Mike Pence
in an effort to undermine the results of the election
and keep the president in power.
- A staffer for Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson
texted a staffer for Vice President Pence
just minutes before the beginning of the joint session.
This staffer stated that Senator Johnson
wished to hand-deliver to the Vice President
the fake electors votes from Michigan and Wisconsin.
The Vice President's aide unambiguously instructed them
not to deliver the fake votes to the vice president.
- [HOST] And then, in a clip
that's been widely circulated since,
Johnson faked a phone call to avoid all accountability.
- [HOST] Johnson then continued to lie.
- [HOST] He then finally admitted to being involved
in the attempted coup, but just for a little bit.
- My involvement in that attempt to deliver
spanned the course of a couple seconds.
- [HOST] However, he described his involvement further
and unless he can text at Mavis Beacon speed
his involvement not only lasted more than a couple seconds,
but it was a key moment
in the attempted coup of January 6.
- I think I fielded three texts and sent two
and talked to my chief of staff
that somebody wants you to deliver something.
I knew nothing about it.
In the end, those electors were not delivered
because we found out from Vice President's staff
they didn't want them delivered.
End of story.
- [HOST] The delivery of the fake elector list
never materialized because the vice president
refused to go along with it.
Not quite the end of story,
but Johnson seems determined to speak in a tone
that downplays the story
and his role in it, while adding context
that continues to damage his credibility.
In addition to his interests in overthrowing democracy,
Johnson is also a strong supporter of the Second Amendment.
- Your right to keep bare arms,
your ability to protect your family is at risk.
- [HOST] In July of 2022,
Johnson had a radio ad that was supposed to air
with the opening line,
"The latest mass murder in America didn't involve guns."
But before the ad could even air,
the latest mass murder in America very much involved guns.
According to a report by The Intercept,
Throughout his Senate career,
Johnson has received support from pro-gun groups
in the sum of nearly $1.2 million.
Johnson finds himself in a tight race
for his third term to the Senate.
Early polls show him down seven points
to Democratic challenger, Mandela Barnes.
If he continues to take a dip,
it'll be interesting to see what his protocol is
on passing off fake votes to himself
now that that pesky Pence aide isn't in the way.
(upbeat music)