DISTANT DESCENDANT

House Speaker Mike Johnson Reportedly Descended From Enslavers

Two of Johnson’s ancestors reportedly enslaved several Black people in Louisiana in the 1860s.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), the highest-ranking Republican in the United States and an avid opponent of slavery reparations, is descended from multiple enslavers, Reuters reported. Two of Johnson’s great-great-great-great-grandfathers—Honore Fredieu and Amedee Rachal—enslaved a number of Black people in Louisiana in the 1860s. Johnson is one of more than 100 lawmakers descended from American enslavers, according to Reuters. Among them are Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, Johnson’s spokesperson Taylor Haulsee pointed out in a statement to Reuters. “The actions of people who lived hundreds of years ago do not have any bearing on the Speaker’s lifelong work for a colorblind society,” Haulsee said.