Uncovered

Trump Appointee Quits Defense Department After Obama Birther Posts Exposed

Todd Johnson abruptly resigns when CNN asked about anti-Obama posts.

A Trump appointee to the Department of Defense has resigned after a CNN reporter asked about website posts he made in which he appeared to back the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama wasn’t born in the United States. Todd Johnson, a former Trump campaign director in New Mexico, joined the Pentagon in 2017 as an advance officer and was on a pay scale normally reserved for senior members of staff. A review of his social media showed his support for the birther conspiracy theory and that he shared a video that claimed Obama was the Antichrist. In July 2012, Johnson shared a video called “Michelle Obama admits Barack Obama’s home country is Kenya,” commenting “people still don’t believe.” In 2013, a friend of Johnson’s commented that Obama “being a Muslim” made him crazy, to which Johnson replied, “Yes sir.” When CNN informed the department it was running a story on Johnson, a Pentagon spokesperson said Johnson had offered his resignation and that it had been accepted.