The Curious Case of Ron Johnson
Actions Have (Legal) Consequences. Why Wisconsin Should "Recall Ron."
Disclaimer: I was a volunteer on Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes’s US Senate campaign in 2022, whose staff have played no role in this specific post at all.
First, with another big week of presidential primaries, we should take note of the Uncommitted movement’s strength in Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Rhode Island (Rhode Island’s Uncommitted vote was about 15%). Netanyahu’s management of the Gaza campaign has rightfully earned the scorn of key Capitol Hill leaders, including Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed. And it is being reflected in the will of people in states like Minnesota and Michigan—signs that Biden’s reelection team must pay great attention to.
In other news, big rulings came out in Florida on an abortion rights amendment and marijuana legalization. Ballot referendums may shape 2024 as it did in 2022 and the special elections of 2023 (Kansas, Montana, Kentucky, Ohio, all deep-red states).
But now we return to Wisconsin, one of the most important bellwether states in the country and home to one of the starkest Senate contrasts in the country.
On one side, there is Senator Tammy Baldwin, a progressive Democrat and also the first woman and lesbian Senator from the state. On the other, there is Senator Ron Johnson, one of the most controversial, radical right wingers in the entire Senate body.
Wisconsin is not new to conservative Republican far-right firebrands. This was the state, after all, that elected anti-Communist witch hunter/Cold War pariah Joseph McCarthy. Yet, make no mistake about it: for every Joseph McCarthy and Ron Johnson, there have been so many other conservatives and Republicans in the state who have respected our country’s norms, and carried themselves with a sense of decency and good will in their hearts. They cared about the meaning of public service.
People like Congressman Mike Gallagher. For all the disagreements he and I have, he takes his job seriously, a fact which explains his frustration with the current Congress and his upcoming resignation later in April. Another once-rising star within the GOP extinguished because of the Trump takeover of the GOP. Similarly, former Senator Bob Kasten was an old-time Republican in the Reagan years who devoted an immense amount of effort to foreign affairs and trade policy.
Finally, for anyone who does not know about Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson, check him out. He was a multi-term, very popular, and uniquely well-respected Republican on both sides of the aisle. So much so that he became the US Secretary of Health & Human Services under George W. Bush. So popular that after more than a decade out of office, the GOP nominated him to succeed the late Democrat Herb Kohl in 2012 (he lost to Baldwin in a very close race).
Ron Johnson, however, is not any of those people. He is a politician in the worst sense of the word, whose raison d'être is merely to remain in power. He has no respect for our institutions or norms, nor does he give a hoot about the true meaning of public service. Even if you are on the other side of the aisle, we should all agree that Ron Johnson’s actions are worthy of a recall vote or some other legal consequence.
No, not for his positions against raising the federal minimum wage. No, not for saying that Social Security should be put on the “chopping block.” Not for saying that climate change is “bullshit,” and actually good for everyone except Africa. Nor for the 180 he made on his term limits pledge, the Jesse Helms-style racial mudslinging from his recent reelection bid, or the many other statements and positions that have defined Ron Johnson as a character.
Even Johnson’s support of radical right conspiracies—likely the widely debunked “Great Replacement,” “wokeness contributes to mass shootings” and “Social Security is a ‘Ponzi scheme’” theories—are not really relevant to the situation at hand.
Don’t take it from me. Take it from the widely-trusted media outlets in Wisconsin, and the words of Ron Johnson himself regarding the following events:
To begin, there is the question of how much Ron Johnson has used his official position to benefit himself, his family, and political allies while in elected office. When he voted for a tax cut in 2017, reports revealed that a rule he placed into the tax cut bill personally benefited “two families...both among the senator’s biggest donors.” In 2016, those two families funneled $20 million into Johnson’s re-election campaign during a close rematch with former Senator Russ Feingold. In 2022, they gave Johnson a similar boost of support. In other words, Johnson gave half a billion dollars in tax savings to his most important contributors over a period of 8 years.
That does not top the other ethical—and possibly legal—questions that remain about Mr. Johnson. The senior U.S. Senator from Wisconsin has publicly acknowledged his plastics business, a company actually started by his brother-in-law and which does most of its business in China. That company apparently “benefited” from a law Johnson helped push through in 2017. That company, perhaps not coincidentally, is also where much of Johnson’s personal wealth has come from, funds which he has since poured into three high-profile statewide campaigns since 2010.
In addition to that, his family was discovered buying “luxury properties” in a scheme to “take advantage of the law.” On a similar note, questions remain about his supposed pledge to create a blind trust for Pacur LLC. It has otherwise been reported that Johnson maintained stock in his own company while he engaged in insider trading right before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
And for someone worth at least $1 to $5 million, how is it that his trust fund “hasn’t paid any Wisconsin taxes since 2016,” after having six-figure tax bills prior to that? Let me just say that I can see why outsourcing in Oshkosh was not a big concern of his. Wonder what else Johnson has hidden from the public over the years.
Johnson’s record, though, involves more than hiding uncomfortable facts from the public. Senator Johnson is one of the most fervent spreaders of foreign misinformation in the entire United States Senate. He is considered to be the guy for Russia by former Trump aides and staff (in just one example of Johnson’s pro-Putin rhetoric, he rejected Ukraine aid and called Putin’s disinformation points about Ukraine “accurate”).
He is the chief disinformation voice on COVID-19 vaccine and treatments. He promoted quack products like Hydroxychloroquine, Ivermectin, Listerine, and even mouthwash as medical cures. He claimed Hank Aaron died because of the vaccine. He compared COVID to the flu, a conspiracy by unnamed elites to take away our rights and freedoms. All statements from the same guy who withdrew stock money from his own company right before the height of the pandemic in early 2020.
Much of the same can be said about the laundry list of debunked 2020 election denial accusations, the “false flag” smear at federal law enforcement, and his condoning of the violence on January 6th—including his praise of the insurrectionists who stormed the US Capitol. He refused to call out the attacks on democracy in America or in Brazil. But from the RFK Jr. of the Republican Party on vaccines and science generally, who should be that surprised? He certainly knows better—and has admitted it privately.
But there’s more. Contrary to every denial that has come out of his mouth over the past 3 years (funny that everyone is a liar except him), all the records show Ron Johnson’s office’s involvement in sending the fake electors from Wisconsin and Michigan to Vice President Mike Pence’s staff in advance of the election certification vote on January 6th, 2021. The same vote that Senator Johnson himself was planning to oppose in certifying the key states of Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. He then attempted to deflect blame from his central role in the fake electors scheme by passing the buck to a former Pennsylvania GOP Congressman. Ron Johnson was anything but forthcoming about his part in the Trump coup attempt. Not until the January 6th Committee testimony and the subsequent January 6 lawsuits were the full extent of Johnson’s involvement revealed. He clearly had a lot to hide all these years later.
As small or normal as it may appear, it is completely unprecedented for any United States Senator, or any Senate office for that matter, to receive and forward fake electors willingly to an election certification proceeding. In states like Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, and Michigan, fake electors are under investigation for criminal intent in submitting false statements (and documents) to Congress, as are several top Trump aides. For law enforcement working on this in Michigan and Wisconsin, a criminal investigation may very well apply to Ron Johnson and his Senate office. If not for being in a position in power and wealth, he might have already been under investigation at this point.
So what can the people of Wisconsin do? Like several states, they do have recall procedures that have been used on state lawmakers over the years. Although there are questions about whether that applies to members of Congress and if it conflicts with the US Constitution, remember that the Constitution does not have an explicit rule on the books regarding a ban on recall efforts. Furthermore, Wisconsin has attempted recall signature gatherings on both Democratic Congressman Dave Obey in 1990 and GOP Senator Joseph McCarthy in 1954. Both parties already see the recall referendum as a legitimate tool to use, even on members of Congress. It is certainly worth a try at least to make the case in court.
Beyond that, there is absolutely no question Ron Johnson’s personal conduct in public office is worthy of a recall. It is justified because Johnson’s behavior is exceptional even by what people would normally expect and see in public office, from financial favors, to the promotion of deadly disinformation, and knowingly forwarding falsified documents to a congressional proceeding. This should not be the norm for what anyone should expect from a US Senator anywhere.
As Wisconsin’s own Governor has said, Ron Johnson “has got to pay a price.” His extensive conflicts of interest (including his business ties in Communist China), his clear and consistent record of promoting the misinformation of foreign adversaries, and his central role in plotting the election coup render Johnson grossly unfit for office.
He needs to be fully held accountable to the people he represents and to the rule of law. Whether that means formal legal action or not is a question the courts will without a doubt take up soon. However, Senator Johnson is unworthy of the trust of the people of Wisconsin, and he is long overdue for a recall vote.
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