Ron Johnson exposes the real reason why GOP lawmakers would not support the Jan 6 commission

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) claims House Republican lawmakers were concerned about becoming "media roadkill" if they had voted against the formation of a January 6 commission to further investigate the Capitol insurrection.

On Friday, Johnson appeared on Fox News with primetime host Tucker Carlson where he discussed the 35 Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the bill designed to establish a commission for the investigation into the series of events that unfolded on January 6. According to Johnson, those lawmakers who sided with House Democrats are influenced by the media.

This week, the bill advanced to the Senate after a 252 - 175 vote.

Although a substantial number of Republican lawmakers have shown support for the measure, Johnson argues, "What this is all about is they're probably figuring out they can't impeach Donald Trump for a third time. So this is the only way they can keep their false narrative that they were thousands of armed insurrectionists that stormed the capital intent on overthrowing this government."

He added, "And then by extension, they can paint with a very broad brush that the 75 million Americans that voted for Donald Trump are also potentially domestic terrorists and would be armed insurrectionists themselves if the FBI doesn't intervene soon enough. So this is all about a narrative that paints Donald Trump's supporters as threats to this nation."

The Wisconsin lawmaker went on to further criticize the media as he suggested its influence had an impact on lawmakers' votes.

"I suppose some of them take a look at what the media's done to me for pushing back," Johnson said. "They pretty well take a look at me as roadkill and say, 'Ooh, don't want any of that.' So there's an enormous amount of media pressure."

Johnson also continued to downplay what occurred that day despite several victims losing their lives.

"I am not happy with those protesters, the people that committed acts of violence. I want them prosecuted," Johnson said. "But there were more than twenty thousand protesters there. The FBI has arrested about four hundred and forty. One hundred twenty-five have been charged with assaulting or resisting or impeding law enforcement or other officials.

"The rest are basically charged with entering and remaining in restricted buildings or on restricted grounds. Now, maybe another 100 might be arrested. I'm highly concerned about the unequal administration of justice."

Although Johnson admitted that many people "committed acts of violence," he still refuses to describe the incident as an insurrection.

"The fact of the matter is even calling it insurrection, it wasn't," Johnson claimed. "I condemned the breach, I condemn the violence, but to say there were thousands of armed insurrectionists breaching the Capitol intent on overthrowing the government is just simply a false narrative."