Who is Dr Jason Johnson? Controversial MSNBC pundit likens the GOP to terror cell
An MSNBC contributor and controversial political scientist has argued that the Republican Party is a "front for a terrorist movement."
Dr Jason Johnson, 45, made the brazen comparison during an appearance 'Deadline: White House' on Thursday, January 13, while discussing the relationship between former President Donald J Trump and the Grand Old Party as the 2024 presidential election inches closer. The political pundit, who is an associate professor of communication and journalism at HBCU Morgan State University, described Trump as "the bad guy" as he railed against the modern-day GOP.
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"If Trump is on the ballot in 2024, it's the easiest thing in the world for Democrats because you can always run against the bad guy," Johnson said. "But I think the bigger more dangerous thing, and I've been saying for a while, I'm working hard to never say 'Republican Party' again because it's not a party. The GOP is no longer a governing party and news outlets should stop using that term," he added.
Who is Dr Jason Johnson?
Johnson, an author and paid contributor to MSNBC, was temporarily banned by the network in February 2020 after he compared female black women supporting Senator Bernie Sanders to "the island of Misfit Black Girls." The comment also led to him being ousted as politics editor at The Root.
The pundit tweeted in support of his Thursday argument on MSNBC. "They have given up all pretense of being a part of the Democratic process and only exist as a vehicle to restore Trump to power through violence or malfeasance," he wrote. "They're Sinn Féin to the IRA. They're the PLO to Hamas. They are a dime storefront for a terrorist movement."
Remember that the @GOP had no party platform 2020, and instead simply released a loyalty pledge to Trump. And four months later fomented a violent terrorist attack to keep Trump in power. The writing os on the wall folks. They aren't a party anymore pic.twitter.com/DAE0GMaRwd
— Dr. Jason Johnson (@DrJasonJohnson) January 13, 2022
The outfits referenced by Johnson are a number of terrorist groups from across the globe. The Palestinian Liberation Organization, or PLO, was recognized as a terror group back in 1987 after it claimed responsibility for several terror attacks against Israel, the most prominent being the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Meanwhile, Hamas is identified as a radical militant group responsible for multiple skirmishes at the Gaza Strip and has been listed as a terror group by the US for years. Finally, the Irish Republican Army or IRA was a right-wing paramilitary terrorist group that vowed to end British rule in Northern Ireland.
Johnson cited a recent letter from Republican National Committee to the Commission on Presidential Debates, which required GOP candidates in 2024 to pledge not to partake in any debates. "They just announced in The New York Times today, where they're asking their 2024 nominees to not engage in presidential debates. They're no longer a party. And so, nothing surprises me anymore," he added. Johnson also alleged that the GOP was trying to cheat in the 2022 midterm elections and therefore a federal takeover of state-level elections was warranted.
The controversial liberal commentator has notably made several other incendiary comments pertaining to the 2020 presidential election during his tenure at MSNBC. In January 2019, he sparked backlash after stating that Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign was over and that he would drop out by August. He then asserted that the millionaire presidential hopeful was not an oligarch, which led The Root's Saagar Enjeti to call Johnson a "professional wrong person." However, Johnson was eventually invited back to MSNBC in July 2020 and has remained a regular fixture since.