
Media Matters reports:
Fox News interviewed a shaken but unapologetic Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) live from an undisclosed secure location in the House complex as a violent mob of Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, delaying the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
During the interview, Johnson, whom the House Republican caucus elected its speaker-designate on Tuesday night, defended his effort to toss the results in multiple states as “presenting our thoughtful arguments and thoughts about this whole process.”
Johnson expressed solidarity with the protestors that morning and promised to take their efforts to Congress later in the day. Johnson did not blame Trump or Republican members like himself for causing that vitriol with false claims of election fraud.
Instead, he said, “I’m here as one of the advocates on the Republican side, stating our concerns about this election, the allegations of fraud and the irregularity and all that.”
Read the full article. In the phone interview below, you’ll hear Johnson urging Trump to “call for calm” but also defending the rioters’ right to “freedom of speech.”
We MUST fight for election integrity, the Constitution, and the preservation of our republic! It will be my honor to help lead that fight in the Congress today.
The statement I drafted summarizes our position and the legal analysis that supports it. https://t.co/JRfV1asZZz
— Rep. Mike Johnson (@RepMikeJohnson) January 6, 2021