During a recent radio interview, Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin freely admitted he "wasn't frightened" by the White supremacist insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol on January 6, though he would have been "concerned" if they were Black.
You can hear the interview here:
Speaking with Joe Pags, Johnson piggybacked off earlier controversial comments he "never felt threatened" by the insurrection, saying:
"Now, had the tables been turned, Joe, and this'll get me in trouble—had the tables been turned, and President Trump won the election, and those were tens of thousands of Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters, I might have been a little concerned."
Blatant racism from @RonJohnsonWI here. He says he wasn’t worried on 1/6 because the majority-white insurrectionist… https://t.co/UT0F4ATdP0— American Bridge 21st Century (@American Bridge 21st Century) 1615571909.0
.@SenRonJohnson on the 1/6 rioters: "I knew those were people that loved this country, that truly respect law enfor… https://t.co/BtBwvaDxCk— Trip Gabriel (@Trip Gabriel) 1615590417.0
Twitter harshly criticized Johnson for his blatant racism.
@tripgabriel @MaxBoot My God. Five people died. Police were beaten with American flags, one officer was blinded. N… https://t.co/x3gR4g4QkP— Terry Dresbach (@Terry Dresbach) 1615594039.0
@tripgabriel "Did my fascism distract you from my racism? Let me clear that up." https://t.co/uL1InE5rKU— Fascism flattened, but never the webrant🕺------🕺 (@Fascism flattened, but never the webrant🕺------🕺) 1615592888.0
@tripgabriel Trump has taught these racists that if you do something out in the open it’s just fine.— Rosie (@Rosie) 1615593468.0
Johnson also said of the White supremacists that stormed the Capitol:
"I knew those were people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement [and] would never do anything to break a law, and so I wasn't concerned."
Five people—including a Capitol police officer—died as a result of the January 6 Trump supporter riot. Police were chased, attacked and beaten and over 300 rioters have been charged with a crime.
Many more indictments are expected in the near future.
@tripgabriel https://t.co/rWSFtBpdWB— MmeDF (@MmeDF) 1615596460.0
@tripgabriel Translation: We knew we were in no danger, as those who stormed the Capitol had their targets clearl… https://t.co/cO38HFJfnG— 404_Apathy_Not_Found (@404_Apathy_Not_Found) 1615594884.0
@tripgabriel Doesnt even try to mask the racism.— Hawkeye Jill (@Hawkeye Jill) 1615593458.0
Johnson seems to have learned a lesson from Trump.
If you freely admit what most would keep secret like racism, you will often go unpunished for shameful behavior.
@tripgabriel Are you *f..cking* kidding me? This is obscene.— Alba🏳️🌈 (@Alba🏳️🌈) 1615593464.0
@tripgabriel Democrats don’t attack, beat down, or murder fellow Americans when they don’t win elections.— Dear Friend (@Dear Friend) 1615593980.0
@tripgabriel Joseph McCarthy. Paul Ryan. Scott Walker. Ron Johnson. WTF WI?— Edgar Cancelled Poe (@Edgar Cancelled Poe) 1615592884.0
At this point, Johnson seems to be embracing his image as a racist.
@tripgabriel @SenRonJohnson your hood is showing.— 𝕂𝕚𝕥 𝕂𝕒𝕥 (@𝕂𝕚𝕥 𝕂𝕒𝕥) 1615592851.0
@tripgabriel This is what everyone thought that Ron Johnson was thinking.— Jeremiah John (@Jeremiah John) 1615593056.0
@tripgabriel https://t.co/tiSq27esXs— Paula-DOT Enthusiast 🐝 💙💛🚗🛩 (@Paula-DOT Enthusiast 🐝 💙💛🚗🛩) 1615593214.0
Johnson even said during the interview he suspected his comments would get him into trouble, and he was absolutely right.
Such baldfaced racism should have no place in American politics and many want Johnson censured accordingly.