Shortly before House Republicans approved their far-right domestic policy megabill, Speaker Mike Johnson delivered one last speech to talk about how impressed he was with his party’s radical and regressive legislation. At one point during the Louisiana congressman’s remarks, however, he was interrupted by some unexpected applause — from Democrats.
self-awareness level = 0
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-07-03T18:02:50.548Z
“The Republican Party stands for law and order, and this is the side that stands with law enforcement, the brave men and women who are on the front line,” Johnson said, reading from prepared remarks. “The idea that those who put their own lives on the line to protect us would be assaulted for doing their jobs is unconscionable.”
It was at this point that Democrats responded positively to the remarks for reasons that Republicans might not have understood.
After all, if members of Congress are going to talk about law enforcement personnel who “put their own lives on the line to protect us” and who were “assaulted for doing their jobs,” it’s probably worth acknowledging that this is an accurate description of the officers who served on Jan. 6.
Johnson might remember the insurrectionist assault. Indeed, he might recall that Congress commissioned a plaque to honor those who “put their own lives on the line” to protect him and his colleagues — though the Republican House speaker refuses to put it up, despite a statutory requirement.
Four days after Johnson’s speech, in a very different context, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared from her podium, “This administration wants anyone who has ever committed a crime to be held accountable.”
Q: The DOJ and FBI have now concluded there was no Jeffrey Epstein client list. What do you tell MAGA supporters who say they want anyone involved in Epstein's crimes to be held accountable?LEAVITT: This administration wants anyone who has ever committed a crime to be held accountable
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-07-07T17:42:54.380Z
That certainly sounded nice, but there are some rather glaring problems with the sentiment. For one thing, Donald Trump is a convicted felon who wasn’t especially interested in being held accountable.








