Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin faced harsh criticism over the last several days for his blatantly racist comments about the January 6 insurrection.
In a radio interview, Johnson said he "wasn't frightened" by the White, pro-Trump insurrectionists, but might have been "concerned" if they were Black Lives Matter protestors.
Later, while speaking with CNN's Don Lemon, Democratic House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina addressed Johnson's comments.
He said:
"The guy is racist. This is not the first time he has indicated such."
Twitter admired Clyburn for refusing to mince words when it came to Johnson's racist behavior.
Johnson also described the January 6 rioters, who stormed the Capitol to stop Congress from confirming the legitimate election of Joe Biden, as "people that love this country, that truly respect law enforcement [and] would never do anything to break a law."
Following the controversy surrounding Johnson's comments, the hashtag #ResignRon began trending on Twitter.
Johnson claimed what he said had nothing to do with race and was "completely innocuous."
Johnson claimed the "left" twisted his words, but he predicted this backlash in the statement itself (which Clyburn points out).
Clyburn denounced Johnson's comments during an interview in which he also advocated for filibuster reform.
"There's no way under the sun that in 2021 that we are going to allow the filibuster to be used to deny voting rights. That just ain't gonna happen. That would be catastrophic. If Manchin and Sinema enjoy being in the majority, they had better figure out a way to get around the filibuster when it comes to voting and civil rights."
Looks like Ron Johnson's comments will likely continue to haunt him for quite a while.
@GovPressOffice/X
