SPEAK UP, SPEAKER

Even Mealy Mouthed Mike Johnson Won’t Back Trump’s Absolute Immunity Claim

Johnson admitted, “it’s not a question I’ve wrestled with,” about the central question which could determine the course of American history.

Buried in U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) mealy mouthed answer when directly asked about Donald Trump’s insane claim to absolute presidential immunity was a small, but important defection: even he can’t back it. In an interview with Politico, Johnson was asked whether he thought a president should be absolutely shielded from prosecution, to which he replied, “Which president? And when?” Although he initially argued that a president must be allowed some impunity, even the staunch Trump ally didn’t go as far as backing the former president’s unhinged plea. When asked a second time about whether a president should have absolute immunity he said, “Well, no, look, I do think it’s important,” adding that U.S. presidents must “be able to make critical decisions on a dime without worrying about some sort of liability for it.” Johnson promptly tried to walk back his answer. “Look, it’s not a question I’ve wrestled with,” he said about the central question which could determine the course of American history, currently being weighed by the U.S. Supreme Court.