As hate rises around the world toward Jews, a former White House official is directing bigoted comments about the Christian faith of the new House Speaker, calling him dangerous and “scary.”
New House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is making all of the right enemies. On Sunday, former White House press secretary Jen Psaki bashed him for being a “religious fundamentalist” on her MSNBC show.
“First glance, Mike Johnson does seem fine, “she said on her program. “Fine-ish. Conservative, yes. But he once started a civility caucus with a Democrat. And I mean, if nothing else, he wears a suit and has glasses. How threatening can this guy actually be?”
Psaki played a clip of Johnson describing himself.
“I am a Bible-believing Christian,” he said in the video. “Someone asked me today in the media, they said, well, it’s curious. People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun? I said, Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview.”
“You heard that right,” Psaki said in response to Johnson’s comments. “The Bible doesn’t just inform his worldview; it is his worldview.”
In an article for MSNBC, Psaki warned her audience that Johnson is a scary speaker for more than just his political beliefs.
“Most Americans might not be able to pick Mike Johnson out of a lineup, but in reality he’s far from benign,” she wrote. “It’s not just his political ideology that should scare us. Johnson is basically a Christian fundamentalist.”
Johnson has received a polarized reaction online for invoking God and the Bible during appearances following his election to Speaker of the House.
Although Christians and others have praised Johnson for transparent about his faith in his new role, some liberals argued that he is offending the “Constitution and the New Testament” with his appeal to God inside the House chamber.
Speaking to Congress following his election, Johnson said “I don’t believe there are any coincidences in a matter like this. I believe that scripture and the Bible is very clear that God is the one that raises up those in authority. He raised up each of you, all of us. And I believe God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment and this time. This is my belief. I believe that each one of us has a huge responsibility today to use the gifts that God has given us to serve the extraordinary people of this great country, and they deserve it.”
There is a long history of both Democrats and Republicans invoking God in the chamber. When Democrats took control of the House in 2019, they removed the “So help me God” line from the oath of witnesses and members.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice