Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) office declined to respond when asked whether he believes the Bible allows slavery.
Does Speaker Mike Johnson support slavery?
President Johnson’s office gave an unclear response when The Daily Beast asked him about slavery:
The Daily Beast requested comment from Johnson’s office on the speaker’s ties to far-right Christian leaders and traditions. The request for comment specifically asked whether Johnson believed biblically sanctioned violence conflicted with his duties as an officer of the Constitution, whether he denounced the teachings of hard-line fundamentalists who supported biblical slavery and rejected constitutional provisions such as liberty and justice , and whether he personally believed the The Bible permitted slavery.
A spokesperson for the speaker provided a statement that did not answer any of those questions.
“None of these actions or comments you refer to were made by Speaker Johnson. The President will not apologize to the Daily Beast for his Christian faith or judge the beliefs or statements of others,” the statement read.
Speaker Johnson and his Dominionist Christians believe the Bible comes before the Constitution. Johnson believes God placed him as a speaker and has been unwilling to publicly draw any lines separating church and state.
Odds are that Mike Johnson will be history after the 2024 election, or to put it in terms Johnson will understand, God will choose to make Hakeem Jeffries the next Speaker of the House.
Opposing slavery is no small matter.
It is telling that Republicans cannot or will not answer a question resolved by the Civil War.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a member of the White House press pool and a congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and professional memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association