House Speaker Mike Johnson Caught in Lie About Meeting With President Biden
REUTERS/Nathan Howard
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) recently attempted to cast doubt on President Joe Biden’s fitness to serve and campaign, but his claims were quickly debunked.
In an interview with Politico’s Rachel Bade, released on Thursday, Johnson claimed that Biden’s team had refused to meet with him for weeks after his appointment to House leadership. “Now we know why,” Johnson implied, suggesting a conspiracy to keep him from discovering Biden’s cognitive state.
However, Biden ally Chris D. Jackson refuted this claim on X (formerly Twitter) and provided evidence to support his rebuttal. “What a lie. He met with the president the day after he was sworn in. These guys can’t tell the truth about anything,” Jackson wrote, sharing a screenshot of an NBC News report that confirmed Biden and Johnson met the day after Johnson assumed the speakership.
This revelation sparked a wave of criticism on social media. Think tank policymaker Norm Ornstein labeled Johnson a “disgraceful liar,” while another commenter urged Politico reporters to be more skeptical: “I swear Politico needs to be shut down. All they do is promote one lie after another after another.”
Johnson was elected Speaker of the House in 2023 after a prolonged intraparty conflict within the GOP, initiated by a faction of far-right lawmakers who voted to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Meanwhile, President Biden has faced weeks of pressure from key Democratic officials and major donors to step down, amid concerns about his ability to mount a successful campaign against former President Donald Trump.
Axios has reported that Biden is considering withdrawing from the race as early as this weekend, though officials close to him continue to deny these claims. The episode highlights the ongoing tensions and misinformation within the political landscape as both parties gear up for the 2024 election. Johnson’s attempt to undermine Biden’s credibility has backfired, drawing attention to the broader issues of truth and transparency in political discourse.
