You Don’t Get to Pretend You Didn’t Lie

We must hold election deniers accountable

Mike Johnson, the nice-guy Christian nationalist who just became Speaker of the House, won’t answer questions about the Big Lie that Donald Trump spread about supposed fraud in the 2020 election. Instead, he’s trying to evade the issue, hoping we’ll forget he led the election denial charge.

Consider, for example,  his first press encounter after being elected to lead the House. As about two dozen House Republicans gathered around Johnson, Rachel Scott, a reporter for ABC News, shouted a question. It went like this:

 “Mr. Johnson, you helped lead the effort to overturn the 2020 election results...”

“Boooooo!” came the response from the crowd of representatives, drowning out Scott’s voice.

 “Shut up!” called out Representative Virginia Fox of North Carolina, in a mocking tone.

“Shut up,” she repeated. ”

 Scott struggled to finish her question adding, ““do you stand by…”

Again, she was interrupted. This time by groans from the crowd of House Republicans.

“Next question,” Johnson told the reporters. They obliged, betraying their duty to hold elected officials responsible for their actions.

Like others who joined the Trump cult’s campaign to overturn the 2020 election, Johnson of Louisiana is trying to dodge responsibility for the deadly Trumpist seizure of the Capitol on January 6. He was one of the main figures responsible for the violent effort to overturn  President Biden’s legitimate election, and for ending the American tradition of a peaceful transfer of power.

Johnson is not alone in this game of hide-and-seek. Representative Steve Scalise, also of Louisiana, has repeatedly dodged questions about his loyalty to the Big Lie. (Like Johnson he was one of 147 who voted to block Congressional certification of Biden’s victory.) In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Scalise was asked about his 2020 stand and responded, “So do you want to keep rehashing 2020?” Stephanopoulos said he just wanted an answer. Scalise didn’t give him one. He has done this several times.

Let’s be clear. As we head into the 2024 election, when every member of the House will face the voters, the top question we must ask is, “What did you say and do in response to Trump’s complaints about widespread voter fraud?” Many will try to slip away from their record without admitting they are doing so.

Inside the House Republican Conference, those who want to be re-elected or respected on Capitol Hill need to own their anti-democracy positions. Back home, where they may face primary elections dominated by a rabid pro-Trump voting bloc, some House members must also satisfy more moderate voters in the general election. Many of those constituents would be turned off by a candidate who stresses his or her conviction that the 2020 election was stolen.

In Colorado, Representative Ken Buck won re-election in 2022 with a record of supporting democracy and Biden’s legitimacy. In September he announced he would seek re-election. In October he said he would never support the election of a House Speaker who was an election denier. Then he suddenly cast his ballot for one of the chief deniers, Mike Johnson.

Had Buck succeeded in having it both ways? Apparently, he decided the answer was, “No.” On Sunday, November 5, he announced he would retire from Congress. Do you think that Buck’s decision was influenced by the specter of Donald Trump attacking him as he has attacked others who fail to toe the line?  I do.

The strange case of Ken Buck illustrates the way that the House GOP has run amok. Anyone who wants to get along with the leadership must declare the election was rigged, thereby pouring salt into the wounds of a country still recovering from the crisis that followed the 2020 election, including the insurrection at the Capitol. Conversely, a House member who stands on principle in favor of our democracy, may, or may not, be embraced by the voters back home.

For the politicians the answer to this puzzle lies in the simple lessons of childhood: Tell the truth and accept responsibility for your actions. Buck told the truth when he refused to deny that Biden was elected fair and square. Then he betrayed his own convictions by supporting Johnson and used an escape hatch – retirement – to avoid facing the voters and being held accountable. As they seek power and respect on a national scale, Scalise, Johnson, and others are trying to dodge the truth about themselves with a wink to the election deniers back home.

For the press and the rest of us who must rightly judge these people the choice is clear: Hold them accountable.