Democratic Rep. Cynthia Johnson of the Michigan House of Representatives is being heavily criticized for a video wherein she called for violence to be done to "Trumpers."
Johnson, in a live stream she did on Facebook, called on her supporters, whom she called "Trumpers" to "Make them pay."
"So, this is just a warning to you Trumpers," she said, "Be careful. Walk lightly. We ain't playing with you. Enough of the shenanigans. Enough is enough. And for those of you who are soldiers, you know how to do it. Do it right. Be in order. Make them pay."
https://twitter.com/UncleGulag/status/1336531504869076993
She earlier warned supporters of President Donald Trump against being critical of her. She mentioned how one person sent her an anonymous voice mail, and then she used the power of federal law enforcement agencies to track this person down.
Right before Johnson conducted this live stream, the state congresswoman was busy ridiculing Michigan whistleblowers who were stepping forward in the state legislature and testifying about instances of voter fraud that they witnessed, particularly in the TCF Center in Detroit, one of the city's main vote tabulation areas.
During one hearing, Johnson even spent her time calling several witnesses with credible testimonies liars, to which the Republican chair of the hall had to shut her down so that the hearing could continue as planned without any further disruptions. (Related: Statement from plaintiff on Antrim County, MI lawsuit reveals he was able to get "Damning evidence" that "Points to election tampering.")
Listen to this special Situation Update episode of the Health Ranger Report, a podcast by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, as he talks about how every single ballot that was made and submitted after Election Day, Nov. 3, should be declared null and void by the courts.
Michigan House of Representatives strips Johnson of committee assignments
In response to her provocative statement and call for violence against Trump supporters, Johnson was ousted from all of her committee assignments by the Republican-majority Michigan House of Representatives.
Before her dismissal from committees, Johnson used to serve as the minority leader and vice chairwoman on the House Oversight Committee. She was also a member of the Agriculture Committee and the Families, Children and Seniors Committee.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec. 9, outgoing Speaker of the House Lee Chatfield and Rep. Jason Wentworth – who becomes the speaker in the next state congress – issued a joint statement criticizing Johnson's statement.
"Threats to either Democrats or Republicans are unacceptable and un-American. They're even more unbecoming of an elected official," wrote Chatfield and Wentworth in their joint statement. "Rep. Johnson has been removed from her committee assignments, and we are looking into further disciplinary action as the proper authorities conduct their own investigations."
Chatfield and Wentworth continued by saying that their position has been very consistent: "Violence and intimidation is never appropriate in politics." And much like how they would strongly condemn threats of violence against politicians, including Democrats like Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, they expect
"We have been consistent in our position on this: Violence and intimidation is never appropriate in politics," they continued. "We have said that about threats against. Gov. Whitmer, [Secretary of State] Benson, Rep. Johnson herself and others. That applies to threats made toward public officials and it must also apply when the threats come from public officials. Behavior like this will not be tolerated this term or next."
Laura Cox, chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, said that she was "disturbed" by Johnson's comments and found it morally reprehensible. She has called on Gov. Whitmer and the rest of the Michigan Democratic Party to condemn Johnson.
Michigan Dems rush to defend Johnson
In response to the appropriate actions the Michigan GOP have taken against threats of violence, Democrats have taken to slamming the Republicans for taking action against Johnson.
Outgoing House Minority Leader Christine Greig and Rep. Donna Lasinski, who is expected to replace her next year, issued a joint statement of their own on Wednesday afternoon.
In their statement, they called Johnson's actions "regrettable," but then pivoted the attention of their statement to focus on the reprimand the Republicans took in response while at the same time calling for elected officials to "be mindful" of the impact of their words, especially during moments of "national tension and crisis."
They then criticized the move to take away all of Johnson's committee memberships as illustrative of how the Michigan Republican Party prioritizes "partisan politics and political theater over healing the wounds of division, preserving the well-being of the Legislature as an institution, protecting the safety of members and acting on the needs of the people of Michigan."
Johnson herself has responded to the criticism she received by backtracking slightly. In another live stream she conducted on Wednesday morning, she tried to clarify that her statement was meant for "soldiers" of Christ to "rise" against racism and misogyny.
During an appearance on MSNBC later that evening, Johnson said that she was being punished for simply doing her job for her constituents and that the actions of the Republicans were in retaliation for her questioning the whistleblowers and Trump campaign lawyer Rudy Giuliani when he went in front of the Oversight Committee.
"I have a job to do," she said. "And my job is to protect democracy and my job is also to question people when they come to our hearings. And that's what I was doing."
Learn more about the acts of violence committed by Democrats and their supporters against Republicans and supporters of Trump by reading the articles at Violence.news.
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