U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson accuses critics of ‘playing class envy’
Facing a rugged autumn race for a third term, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson accused his critics Wednesday of “playing class envy” as he defended doubling his wealth while in office and inserting a major provision into former President Donald Trump's signature 2017 tax bill.
Democrats and allied groups have spent millions of dollars to portray Johnson as a politician out to benefit himself and his richest donors, accusations he has vehemently denied.
During an interview with broadcaster Dan O'Donnell of WISN (1130AM), Johnson went on the offense over the two major attack lines.
“I'm up against massive amounts of spending,” Johnson said. “I'm up against the media. They're very good. They are very good at assassinating people's character, playing class envy, distorting things beyond any reasonable recognition of things I say.”
Johnson said the socalled pass-through tax provision he pushed through in 2017 benefited 20 million tax filers and 95% of American businesses.
ProPublica reported Johnson's push for the tax measure delivered millions in savings to billionaires who financed his campaigns, according to IRS records.
“That's been twisted to I carved out a special deal for myself,” Johnson said, “When you cut taxes for everybody, everybody gets a tax cut.”
Johnson also pushed back on criticism of his wealth.
Johnson and his wife listed assets worth between $16.55 million and $78.3 million at the end of last year, with a midpoint $47.4 million, about the same as the previous year. Johnson wasn't required to list his $174,000 Senate salary.
According to government filings, Johnson made between $5 million and $25 million on the March 2020 sale of his share of the plastics firm Pacur LLC.
“You know, I doubled my wealth, well I'm the only guy that I know of that actually took all my marketable securities and turned it into cash,” he said. “My wealth doubled because I sold my business that went from book value to market value. I've got no conflict of interest. I should have quadrupled my wealth, like most people in their 401(k)'s did because that's what the stock market did while I've been a U.S. senator.
“So I mean, I suppose the criticism should be I'm an awful investor, but they take that they use it that way. And they play class envy. You know, it's always successful Republicans to get attacked. Successful Democrats never get questioned.”
Johnson spokeswoman Alexa Henning defended the senator's comments.
“The media has zero self-awareness,” she said. “Sen. Johnson was correctly describing how Democrats and reporters pit people against each other based on economic status, and it's being turned into a story that tries to pit people against each other based on economic status. He was exactly right and to suggest he meant otherwise is utterly ridiculous.”
Phil Shulman, a Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokesperson, countered: “Johnson whining about being called out for his failed record rings hollow to the Wisconsinites who've been hurt by his out of touch policies.”