Speaker Johnson's financial disclosures look a little fishy

Plus, two of the alleged Whitmer kidnappers are granted state-level award by a GOP lawmaker.

WHAT YOU MISSED

A new, exclusive investigation by the Daily Beast found that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has hardly disclosed any financial information since becoming a member of Congress. 

“Over the course of seven years, Johnson has never reported a checking or savings account in his name, nor in the name of his wife or any of his children, disclosures show,” reports Roger Sollenberger, the news website’s senior political reporter. “In fact, he doesn’t appear to have money stashed in any investments, with his latest filing — covering 2022 — showing no assets whatsoever.”

This doesn’t mean, of course, that Johnson is living in a van by the river. House Ethics Committee standards require members to disclose all holdings that are at least “$1,000 and the combined value of all accounts — including those belonging to their spouse and dependent children — exceeds $5,000.” So Johnson could be spending just as much money as he’s bringing in. 

Yet this seems strange given that Johnson’s congressional salary — on top of his wife’s work for phony-baloney nonprofits like “Onward Christian Education Services, Inc.” and “Louisiana Right To Life Educational Committee” — would place him in the upper echelons of the American economic hierarchy. His most recent income is listed as a $174,000 congressional wage alongside a $30,000 salary from a Liberty University teaching position, which puts him comfortably above $200,000 annually. 

Add that to his home being valued at close to $600,000, and it’s hard to imagine Speaker Johnson living “paycheck to paycheck” in the standard sense. Regardless, such financial circumstances are strange and could indicate a future career in the infamous “revolving door” between Washington and the private sector. 

Two of the men who were alleged to have been involved in the failed kidnapping of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) received official honors from a Michigan legislator. Last Friday, state Rep. Rachelle Smit (R-Shelbyville) awarded twins William and Michael Null with a legislative tribute after they were acquitted of “providing support for a terrorist act” alongside a weapons charge. The award lauded the Null brothers for their "courage" and efforts towards "keeping alive our cherished liberties."

"We thank Rep. Smit for the honor, we thank the people of the state of Michigan and we thank the jury and we thank God. This is a blessing and my folks are glad to have this behind them," Tom Siver, the brothers’s lawyer, told the Detroit News. 

The Nulls are two of the five men who were not found guilty in a long-winded legal process that has played out over three years. Meanwhile, nine other men were found to have conspired to kidnap Whitmer in an effort to curb what they perceived as her totalitarian COVID-19 measures. 

The ringleaders — Adam Fox and Barry Croft — were sentenced to 16 years and 19 years respectively. 

Meanwhile, Whitmer’s office released a statement condemning the award. 

"Republican leadership awarded a tribute praising individuals that were charged with plotting to kidnap and kill the governor. This goes beyond the pale," spokeswoman Stacey LaRouche said in a statement. "These types of actions normalize and incite violence against our political figures, and only serve to shake our faith in our values and our institutions.” 

While appearing on “The Charlie Kirk Show” Wednesday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) responded to allegations by Kirk that undercover Hamas operatives could be sneaking across the Southern border. As we’ve reported, this talking point has been making the rounds in conservative media since the events of Oct. 7. And Jordan, of course, did little to simmer the hysteria.