Who?
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) — House Judiciary Committee
LISTEN: Laslo & Johnson
Ask a Pol asks:
Curious your thoughts on President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress trying to impeach federal judges?
Key Johnson:
“It's House MAGA Republicans trying to curry favor from Donald Trump,” Rep. Hank Johnson exclusively tells Ask a Pol. “They'll do anything to display to him their loyalty and their willingness to do whatever he commands them to do.”
ICYMI — Interview first published by Raw Story
Caught our ear:
“Every day we're seeing us hit a new bottom in terms of tradition, in terms of norms, in terms of the spirit of the Constitution and the three co-equal branches of government, separation of powers, checks and balances,” Johnson tells us. “Those things are under constant assault and they're under assault by the executive branch, and unfortunately the legislative branch is submissive and complicit and actually a part of the conspiracy.”
What should we ask Congress about this week?
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Hank Johnson
SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo is waiting in the Speaker’s Lobby just off the floor of the US House of Representatives during a vote when he bumps into Rep. Hank Johnson.
Matt Laslo: “Curious your thoughts on what they're doing with trying to impeach judges and all that stuff?”
Hank Johnson: “Yeah. It's House MAGA Republicans trying to curry favor from Donald Trump, so they'll do anything to display to him their loyalty and their willingness to do whatever he commands them to do.”
ML: “Yeah? But I mean, even for him this is like a new level.”
HJ: “Well, I mean, every day we're seeing us hit a new bottom in terms of tradition, in terms of norms…”
ML: “Yeah?“
HJ: “…in terms of the spirit of the Constitution and the three co-equal branches of government, separation of powers, checks and balances, those things are under constant assault and they're under assault by the executive branch and unfortunately the legislative branch is submissive and complicit and actually a part of the conspiracy.”
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ML: “And what have you thought about DOJ [Department of Justice] selectively dropping some charges where they had some pretty strong cases it seemed?”
HJ: “I would never have thought that I would see the Justice Department at this level of, you know, all of the things that Lady Liberty stands for: fairness, equal justice under the law and these folks are putting their finger on the scale of justice for whoever they want to put it on the scale for.”
ML: “Ahuh?”
HJ: “They are absolving some from liability while dipping others into the liability cesspool where there is no probable cause to do so. And so justice is being turned on its head, and my friends on the other side of the aisle are complicit in it.”
ML: “Yeah? What have you thought of [Rep. Darrell] Issa’s bill in particular to limit the scope of these conjunctions?”
HJ: “Very short-sighted and very damaging to our system of governance in this country.”
ML: “Yeah?”
HJ: “Those are decisions that are best left to the judges based on the litigants, the litigation before the court, and — but it's a reaction to adverse rulings.”
House aide: “Two minutes vote. Did you vote already?”
HJ: “Oh, okay.”
Johnson starts heading back to House floor.
ML: “Preciate ya.”
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