Republican Sen. Ron Johnson says Secretary of State Antony Blinken lied to Congress about communicating with Hunter Biden via email. But there is less to the accusation than Johnson suggests.
Unpacking the Claim that Blinken ‘Lied’ to Congress
Person: Ron Johnson
Major Themes of the Midterms
Voters are about to get a respite from the political attack-ad onslaught: Election Day is tomorrow. That means no more messages from Democrats attacking Republicans over abortion rights or the future of Medicare; no more Republicans blaming Democrats for inflation or crime. At least for a little while.
Johnson Ad Omits Barnes’ Condemnation of Attack on Police
In the Wisconsin Senate race, an ad from Republican Sen. Ron Johnson selectively pulls comments made by his opponent, Democrat Mandela Barnes, from an interview days after a deadly attack on police in Dallas. The ad claims Barnes “rationalized violence” against police, but it ignores that Barnes said the killings were “not justified in any way” and that he “denounced” the attack.
Everytown’s Misleading Ad on Johnson’s Votes ‘Against Funding for the Police’
A TV ad from a gun control advocacy group claims Republican Sen. Ron Johnson voted “against funding for the police, preventing local departments from hiring more officers.” But the two votes cited were against trillion-dollar spending bills that included a host of measures, well beyond law enforcement funding.
Johnson’s False Claim about Barnes’ Tax Plan
Like many Democrats, Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes says he wants to cut “middle-class” taxes and make sure the wealthy “pay their fair share.” But an ad from his opponent, Sen. Ron Johnson, in the race for U.S. Senate falsely tells the state’s voters that Barnes wants to “double your income taxes.”
Stimulus Spending a Factor, But Far From Whole Story on Inflation
Economists cite several reasons for high inflation in the United States, starting with the unprecedented circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic. But TV ads in midterm races across the country blame one culprit: stimulus spending by President Joe Biden’s administration.
Ad Misleads on Percentage Increase in Fentanyl Seizures Under Biden
The overall increase in fentanyl seized at the southwest border under President Joe Biden is nowhere near as high as a Republican ad misleadingly claims. U.S. border officials seized 13,021 pounds of the drug in Biden’s first full 15 months in office, which is 70% more than the 7,677 pounds seized in Donald Trump’s last full 15 months as president.
Researchers Studying Whether Mouthwashes Can Reduce Viral Load, COVID-19 Transmission
In a Dec. 8 town hall meeting, Sen. Ron Johnson may have left a misleading impression in saying “standard gargle, mouthwash, has been proven to kill the coronavirus.” In the laboratory, some mouthwashes have been shown to block infectivity or suppress SARS-CoV-2, but studies involving people using mouthwash are not conclusive. Researchers are continuing to study the matter.
Senator Johnson Distorts Report on Violence in Defense of His Remarks on BLM, Antifa
In response to critics who found his remarks about the Capitol riot to be racist, Sen. Ron Johnson wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that distorted a report’s findings on last year’s demonstrations against racial injustice.
Capitol Protesters Were Armed With Variety of Weapons
Conservative social media posts misleadingly claim the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was not an “armed” insurrection, citing FBI testimony that no guns were seized from suspects that day. But 23 people have been charged with having deadly or dangerous weapons during the assault — including a loaded handgun found on a man arrested on Capitol grounds.