MSNBC’s Jen Psaki Roasts Speaker ‘Flailing to Protect’ Trump in Stunning Capitol Confrontation
MSNBC host and former Biden White House press secretary Jen Psaki roasted Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) for “flailing to protect” President Donald Trump during a stunning confrontation with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Johnson has refused to swear in Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ), who won a special election to fill the vacancy created by the passing of her father, Rep. Raul Grijalva. She would also likely be the key 218th “yes” vote on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing all files related to deceased sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
On Wednesday’s edition of MSNBC’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki, the host ripped Speaker Johnson over the moment he was ambushed by Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), who accused him of “covering up for pedophiles”:
JEN PSAKI: So today, Mike Johnson was also confronted by the two Democratic senators from Arizona over his refusal to swear in their colleague. And things got heated pretty quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA), SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: I am anxious to administer the oath to her as soon as you guys vote to open the government.
SEN. RUBEN GALLEGO (D), ARIZONA: You don’t want to be on Epstein discharge. How much of it’s — because you’re…
JOHNSON: Totally absurd. You guys are experts in red herrings.
(CROSSTALK)
GALLEGO: … moving along.
JOHNSON: It has nothing to do with Epstein, person in committee…
(CROSSTALK)
GALLEGO: You just keep coming up with excuses. This is an excuse so she doesn’t sign on to that.
JOHNSON: This is absurd.
(CROSSTALK)
GALLEGO: … and stop covering up for the pedophile.
(CROSSTALK)
JOHNSON: There’s — there’s — that’s ridiculous.
REP. MIKE LAWLER (R), NEW YORK: Nobody’s covering up for pedophiles.
(CROSSTALK)
GALLEO: She knows. You know that she is the…
(CROSSTALK)
GALLEGO: You know she is.
JOHNSON: I’m going to get back to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PSAKI: That is what it looks like when the leader of your party is flailing to protect the guy at the top. But that is who Republicans are stuck with to lead them out of this shutdown fight.
You may have noticed that at a certain point New York Republican Congressman Mike Lawler jumped into that scrum to defend little Mike Johnson. Now, just moments later, Lawler decided that he would confront the Democratic leader in the House, Hakeem Jeffries. Maybe he was hoping it would be — put the focus back on Democrats in the shutdown, I guess. But here’s the thing, the leader, Jeffries, isn’t in the same position as Mike Johnson. He does not have to try and defend an erratic president while navigating this shutdown.
Watch above via MSNBC’s The Briefing with Jen Psaki.
