Why is a multimillionaire lawmaker using taxpayer money for flights from his job in Washington, D.C., to his fancy-ass vacation home in Florida? Because he’s an entitled Republican. That’s why.
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson claims his trips were all approved by the Senate Rules Committee, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. But Democrats say the trips were a waste, and that given that the two-term senator is loaded, there’s no way he should be asking to be reimbursed for the travel.
The Journal Sentinel reports that although it’s not possible to say exactly what the costs were, as they were sent in with other expenses, Senate records show that the trips cost somewhere between $5,418 and $18,781, and were repaid to him with taxpayer money.
"Whether it’s helping pass legislation that enriched himself and his biggest donors or spending thousands in taxpayer dollars to fly to and from his family vacation home in Florida, Ron Johnson’s priority is his self-serving agenda, not Wisconsinites," Philip Shulman, a spokesman for the Democratic Party told the Journal Sentinel.
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Johnson, who was initially elected in 2010, claims that he hasn’t broken any rules and welcomes any and all investigation of his spending. Federal records revealed by the Journal Sentinel show he was in fact repaid with federal funds for 19 flights, all from 2013 through 2021, between D.C. and his mansion in Fort Myers.
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In response to the article in the Journal Sentinel about his misdeeds, the senator turned to Twitter to defend himself.
“This isn’t journalism, it’s advocacy,” Johnson tweeted Thursday. “It is a fully coordinated attack by the Dem Party and their allies in the media. When the truth isn’t on their side, Dems and MSM media lie, distort, and engage in the politics of personal destruction. Wisconsin and America deserve better.”
Alexa Henning, Johnson’s spokesperson, told the Journal Sentinel that all the senator’s reimbursements were allowed by law.
“The senator has always gone above and beyond to abide by Senate rules,” Henning said. “He has never been reimbursed for travel to visit family in Florida, but is reimbursed for returning for official business to Washington, D.C.”
His official business included flying to Florida the day after the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, the Journal Sentinel reports. In addition to attending a teleconference meeting from his Florida home with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to discuss election fraud on Jan. 4, 2021, and an interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press on Jan. 3, 2021.
In addition to being entitled and allegedly a bit on the corrupt side, Johnson also falls into lockstep with all the usual Republican nonsense rhetoric.
When it comes to gun legislation, according to Madison.com, Johnson blames “critical race theory” (CRT) and “wokeness” for the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, this Tuesday that left 19 kids and two adults dead.
Appearing on Fox Business with host Neil Cavuto, the Oshkosh senator claimed that the “society-wide problem” of guns cannot be solved with more gun control. Of course, he does. The Independent reports that Johnson received $1,269,486 from the National Rifle Association.
“The solution lies in stronger families, more supportive communities,” Johnson said.
“I would argue renewed faith. We’ve lost that. We stopped teaching values in so many of our schools. Now we’re teaching wokeness. We’re indoctrinating our children with things like CRT, telling, you know, some children they’re not equal to others and they’re the cause of other people’s problems.”
And to all of that, I say: Pay for your own damn flights to Florida, Senator.
On the day the children were slaughtered in their classroom, the senator offered his “sincere condolences.” Do more senator. Do more.
