Moore calls Johnson a ‘conspiracy theorist’
Democratic Congresswoman Gwen Moore took a few jabs at Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson during a panel discussion Saturday in Milwaukee, calling him a “conspiracy theorist,” “embarrassing” and a “disappointment.”
Speaking at the Milwaukee Public Library branch in Washington Park, Moore took issue with Johnson’s involvement in President Donald Trump’s Ukraine “debacle” and his efforts to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
“What can I say? I’m so disappointed,” Moore told constituents when asked about Johnson’s comments on “Meet the Press” in October that he doesn’t trust the CIA or FBI.
“Right now you’re going to experience, between now and November, all of this commotion that somehow Hunter Biden (and) Joe Biden did something in Ukraine for which the president was impeached,” Moore said.
Johnson’s office declined to respond to her comments for this story.
Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives for allegedly withholding aid to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation by the Ukrainian government into the Bidens over Hunter Biden’s work for a Ukrainian gas company.
Trump was charged with one count each of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, but the Senate did not convict him. On both counts, Johnson voted “no.”
Moore spoke alongside other elected officials who represent the Washington Park area. She said in an interview with the Journal Sentinel after that Johnson “knows that’s wrong” for Trump to use his office to investigate a political rival.
“And for him to now be participating in this, it’s a source of great embarrassment. He’s a United States senator, he’s not some Breitbart jerk, some conspiracy theorist, he’s a United States senator, and it’s embarrassing.”
Moore said voters will have an opportunity to hold elected officials accountable in November.
“Maybe Sen. Johnson feels because he just got reelected and he has a long term, that people will forget,” Moore said. “It’s not only embarrassing to us as a state, it ought to be embarrassing to him as a fairly intelligent man.”
Johnson was re-elected in 2016 to a six-year term. Moore said it does not matter to her that she “didn’t agree with him on particular issues.”
“But it matters to me now that he’s going to be a conspiracy theorist. That sort of leaks out into other areas,” Moore said. “It concerns me that this aberrant behavior of our president is contagious.”
‘We are using every strategy’
Moore took some shots at the Trump administration during the panel discussion saying his budget is “DOA,” dead on arrival, in the House.
Moore was also asked for an update on immigration reform and said not much has changed.
“We are finding the administration is putting people in charge who are willing to carry out their mandate of continuing to marginalize people at the border,” Moore said.
Moore said Congress has “lost a lot of its power, its voice” when it comes to appropriating funding to different projects
As a reaction, Moore said appropriation bills are being written to include language similar to “these funds can’t be used to…” in an effort to prevent the administration from moving money from one purpose to another.
The Trump administration has taken some money that was going to go to defense contractors, like Oshkosh Corp., to build a wall on the southern border.
“We are using every strategy that we can to retain and regain our power,” Moore said.