A Michigan Democrat is in hot water over a Facebook Live video in which she threatened supporters of President Trump.
“So this is just a warning to you Trumpers: Be careful, walk lightly. We ain’t playing with you,” Michigan state Rep. Cynthia Johnson said in a video posted Tuesday. “Enough of the shenanigans. Enough is enough. And for those of you who are soldiers, you know how to do it. Do it right. Be in order. Make them pay.”
“I wish I could be talking to y’all in a private room because I just wish I could, but we’re public,” Johnson added.
The comment drew immediate criticism from conservatives, who saw the clip as a call for violence.
“Michigan Democratic State Rep. Cynthia Johnson threatened @realDonaldTrump supporters in a Facebook live video Tuesday, saying it is a warning message to those who support the president,” tweeted Henry Rodgers, a senior congressional correspondent for the Daily Caller.
Michigan Democratic State Rep. Cynthia Johnson threatened @realDonaldTrump supporters in a Facebook live video Tuesday, saying it is a warning message to those who support the president.
Read more here: https://t.co/QnUstXelby pic.twitter.com/cWIxH1hXL1
— Henry Rodgers (@henryrodgersdc) December 9, 2020
“Democrat elected officials (in this case a Michigan Representative) are calling for violence and assault against Trump supporters,” former senatorial candidate Lauren Witzke tweeted. “They aren’t even hiding it. These people want us dead.”
Hey @RepCAJohnson care to explain why you are threatening us?
— Lauren Witzke (@LaurenWitzkeDE) December 9, 2020
“I am incredibly disturbed by Representative Cynthia Johnson’s deranged Facebook rant,” Michigan GOP Chairwoman Laura Cox tweeted. “It is reprehensible that an elected official would call on her ‘soldiers’ to make the supporters of an opposing party ‘pay’, and clearly such a statement could incite people to violence.”
I am incredibly disturbed by Representative Cynthia Johnson’s deranged Facebook rant. It is reprehensible that an elected official would call on her ‘soldiers’ to make the supporters of an opposing party ‘pay’, and clearly such a statement could incite people to violence. https://t.co/EYNihoUoNE
— Laura Cox (@MIGOPChair) December 9, 2020
Michigan’s Republican speaker of the House released a statement calling Johnson’s comments “unacceptable and unamerican” and announced she has been stripped of her committee assignments.
Michigan State Rep. Cynthia Johnson is stripped of her assignments and is under investigation for her threats against Trump supporters posted on social media on Tuesday night. pic.twitter.com/3MpMlul2wZ
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) December 9, 2020
Johnson attempted to clarify her comments in another video posted on Wednesday, saying it was time for “soldiers” of Christ to stand up against racism and misogyny.
Johnson says she has received racist threats since appearing at a House Oversight Committee hearing in which she listened to testimony from several Michiganders who said they witnessed voter fraud in the presidential election.
“You should be swinging from a [expletive] rope, you Democrat,” an unidentified person can be heard saying in a recording that Johnson posted online.
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
