Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is out of the White House and working for progressive cable news station MSNBC now, where she hosts “Inside with Jen Psaki.” Now she’s using that show to attack the new Speaker of the House, Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana.
Attacking Johnson on a Sunday segment of her show, a breathless Psaki clutched her pearls and warned MSNBC viewers that Johnson isn’t as “fine-ish” as he might appear in a clean-cut suit, but is rather a radical religious extremist, or, as she put it, “basically a Christian fundamentalist.”
Introducing the topic and mocking Johnson in sarcastic tone, Psaki first said, “So let’s take a few minutes to talk about this new speaker.” Then, doing so, she derided him as being a wolf in sheep’s clothing, or, more accurately, a radical cleric in a businessman’s suit.
Attacking Speaker Johnson’s religious convictions, Psaki said, “First glance, Mike Johnson does seem fine. Fine-ish. Conservative, yes. But he once started to civility caucus with a Democrat. And I mean, if nothing else, he wears a suit and has glasses. How threatening can this guy actually be?”
She continued, “Well, he gave us all a little clue as to how he would govern in an interview this week.” That’s when she played a clip of Speaker Johnson talking to Sean Hannity, to whom he said that he lets the Bible guide his views on the issues he faces and figure out how he should respond.
Specifically, Speaker Johnson told Hannity, “Someone asked me today in the media, ‘People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue?’ I said, ‘Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview.”
That comment sent Psaki off the rails. In a dramatic tone and with much rhetorical flourish, she exclaimed, “You heard that right! The Bible doesn’t just inform his worldview, it is his worldview.” Apparently, Psaki isn’t ok with a Christian letting his religious beliefs and the word of God guide his conduct and views.
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Continuing, Psaki then derided Johnson for his speech in which he argued that the guiding hand of God determines our fates and played a role in the Speakership battle, characterizing Johnson’s remarks as him having “suggested that his election as speaker was an act of God.” She sneered, “Talk about a bit of a humblebrag there.”
For reference, Johnson said, “I believe that scripture, the Bible, is very clear that God is the one that raises up those in authority. He raised up each of you. All of us. And I believe that God has allowed and ordained each and every one of us to be here at this specific moment. This is my belief. I believe that each one of us has a huge responsibility today to use the gifts God has given us to serve the extraordinary people of this great nation, and they deserve it.”
In any case, Psaki then got to calling Johnson a fundamentalist, saying, “Most Americans might not be able to pick Mike Johnson out of a lineup, but in reality he’s far from benign. It’s not just his political ideology that should scare us. Johnson is basically a Christian fundamentalist.”
Watch her here:
“His views on policy are essentially what you’d expect from a religious fundamentalist — they’re more divisive than divine.”
@jrpsaki on newly elected House speaker Mike Johnson. pic.twitter.com/DQs7uKnTiX— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) October 29, 2023
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video