House Speaker Mike Johnson Skirts Question on Personal Bank Account

jeffw@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – 518 points – House Speaker Mike Johnson Skirts Question on Personal Bank Account
thedailybeast.com

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) responded on Sunday to a report by The Daily Beast that highlighted his apparent lack of a bank account on his financial disclosure.

The response, however, did not actually answer whether he had one.

Fox News Sunday moderator Shannon Bream pressed Johnson on whether he had a bank account, citing a Vanity Fair write-up of The Daily Beast’s report and noting that “there’s been so much made about it.”

“Can you clear that up for us?” Bream asked.

Johnson did not.

“Look, I’m a man of modest means,” Johnson said. “I was a lawyer, but I did constitutional law, and most of my career has been in the nonprofit sector. We have four kids, five now, that are very active. And I have kids in graduate school, law school, undergraduate. We have a lot of expenses, but I can relate to everybody else. My father was a firefighter, right? I didn’t grow up with great means. But I think that helps us to be a better leader because we can relate to every hard-working American family. That’s who we are. And I think it governs and helps govern my decisions and how I lead.”

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This guy has three kids in college and no fucking bank accounts... Dude, is this guy congress Clarence Thomas? Fuck, it feels like these people are all body snatchers!

edit: a word

Maybe someone should subpoena his FAFSA and see how much free money he is getting to put his kids through college

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We have four kids, five now, that are very active.

Talk about a real-time update. "OH, THIS JUST IN, SHE'S POPPED OUT ANOTHER ONE!" Or did he just briefly forget about the black one?

If it was a normal person I would cut him some slack. Your memory goes to shit when you are a parent about kid stuff. Kids go from potato to walking talking eating machines in a year. There are moments when you see them do something and you are like "how are you bicycling, I feel like I just changed your diaper about a month ago?".

We have four kids, five now, that are very active.

Talk about a real-time update. “OH, THIS JUST IN, SHE’S POPPED OUT ANOTHER ONE!”

To be fair, he was probably thinking about the children that he has to spend real money on, and not the young/newborn(?) one who's expenses are very modest at this point in comparison.

“Look, I’m a man of modest means,” Johnson said. “

Yeah, he's modest about how many means he's hiding from the IRS.

most of my career has been in the nonprofit sector.

Specifically the Christian Right sector, which is extremely lucrative compared to most officially for profit sectors

I can relate to everybody else.

Said the man who's famously a bigot who wants government to be based on his interpretation of what his imaginary friend wants 🤦

we can relate to every hard-working American family. That’s who we are. And I think it governs and helps govern my decisions and how I lead.

I think I've cracked the code! In his vernacular, "relate to" means "abuse and steal from"! #MysterySolved

Probably getting paid by church money under the table without being taxed.

I've met regular people who do that and admitted they weren't paying taxes on the church wages, so even the little guys are getting away with that

I had a fantasy last night where I became president and made the CEO/board of directors culpable for any illegal activities of the company then placed a banking embargo on every non-extradition country. Double whammy, they run, can't access their US assets, they stay, can't access their tax haven accounts.

How does he get his paycheck? If he actually receives a paper check, how does he cash it?

Gold bars, of course. Oh wait, you mean his paycheck from the US Government, not the other ones, don't you?

I mean, it makes sense. Where in the US would he be able to cash a check for rubles?

He's been in government since 2017 or earlier, and gov jobs require electronic payment. Period. I have no idea how this motherfucker can get paid by the federal government without a bank account.

Please someone explain.

If the Rs are going to continue supporting Santos and Clarence Thomas, they're not going to do shit to this NatC for doing far less.

If the Rs are going to continue supporting Santos and Clarence Thomas, they’re not going to do shit to this NatC for doing far less.

well, yeah, they're fascists. they still support trump.

I still want to know how this fucker gets paid by the federal gov without a goddamned bank account. In the 90s the army finally forced everyone onto direct deposit and that was one of the last federal programs to finally get electronic payment going iirc. Direct Deposit doesn't work without a bank lol

I meant to imply that he absolutely has accounts and is simply committing an ethics violation by not reporting them. There's no way a white collar person can exist in society without having a bank account, especially given your point that direct deposit is a requirement for him specifically. The only people that can do anything about it is the majority party in the House, and they don't care.

The only people that can do anything about it is the majority party in the House, and they don’t care.

yep, there's only republican accountability for non republicans. and women. and lgbtqs. and people with melanin. or in a minority situation.

yep. fuckers

I knew people who would cash a check for you for 5%. I imagine as a Congress person he doesn't have to do that

His creepy affect and smirk just exudes ‘hiding a kiddie porn dungeon’ vibes.

Absolutely... The first time I saw him in a pic, i shrouded at the smirk. In all the images I have seen him in since, he looks like he's constantly on the verge of some kind of orgasm, always this dismissive smirk in his face.

Holy shit, just answer the question, Mike

Right? That was the most unpracticed "talk until they go away" I've ever read.

You get a red flag! You get a red flag! Everybody gets.. no you get a red flag!

Somehow I'm getting two-three texts every day from this scumbag, though I've never voted conservative or signed any conservative petitions.

Different number every time, so I can't block them.

Help.

If you opt out and still get texts, you can probably file a complaint with the FCC or some federal agency.

Any email given to any government agency becomes public and purchasable by third parties.

Respond back, get on the phone with someone. Sound crazy. Make up absurd crackpot ideas and demand that they agree with you such as James Madison wasn't a Mason he was an alien and is Speaker Johnson aware of this and investigating?

It is amazing how all the verbal tricks and rhetoric don't work when it is written out.

I'm not really sure why this matters. Is really just about him not disclosing something? Because I really don't care if he has a bank account it not.

This seems like a distraction from real issues.

How does he get paid? How does he pay bills? Do you not think this is strange?

It may be strange. So what?

Cant follow the money to see who owns him if there are no accounts. For any adult with a roof over their head, to not have at least one bank account is very odd, and for a politician, very sus.

Plus, even if he really doesn't have an account, then that's worrisome as well because if you're struggling to pay for your kids tuition, that raises concerns about being more susceptible to bribery. That's why one of the things they look into when you get clearance is are you struggling financially.

Can't see the bank account without some sort of legal action. Not sure what you're imagining but that seems like a silly line of thought. Do you really think every financial move a person makes goes through their bank account? If anyone is stupid enough to put payoffs or other ill gotten gains in a bank account along with their "normal" money then they're amazingly stupid. I would find it VERY hard to believe that anyone would do that.

It may be odd, but I don't find it relevant. He can hide money under his mattress if he wants, I really don't care.

This is a distraction from any real issues. If people want to "take him on" then do so on the issues he will deal with as a member of the house.

I find this whole "let's gettem" approach to politics a BIG distraction from real debate on real issues. Not to say that we should allow politicians to do whatever they want but let the investigators do that. So the media spend their time with BS like this instead of asking the real questions on real issues. The public debate is not engaged for the sake of a non-existent bank account.

He's a US Representative. He was asked under oath to disclose it under penalty of perjury. He committed a felony. What the hell is wrong with you?

I think the point is uts REALLY strange, and might be indicative of problems/concerns that actually matter.

You don't care if the Republican Speaker of the House is taking bribes. Okay.

Guilty until proven innocent, right?

Where do you buy your pitchforks and torches?

No, he's proven guilty for failing to properly disclose his finances as required by law.

The people are allowed to ask questions of and demand explanations from our elected representatives. He works for us and we want answers. Who the fuck are you to even imply otherwise? WTF is wrong with you?!

This isn't a court of law. Is that the burden you live by when hiring a nanny for your kids? That literally anyone who isn't convinced of a crime is perfectly fine to watch your kids?

Blatant in your face corruption in the House isn't a real issue? Umm, ok then.