Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson has angrily denied that he ever threatened the Social Safety program — although he has.

Johnson, a faithful Trump ally who’s trailing within the polls within the upcoming midterms, final month proposed that funding for Social Safety (and Medicare) be determined 12 months by 12 months as a part of “discretionary” spending packages. That might topic funding to a doubtlessly fierce partisan political battle yearly, jeopardizing a predictable revenue for some 69 million Individuals — most of whom have paid into this system their complete working lives.

Johnson insisted Sunday on “Fox & Associates” that claims he’s out to intestine Social Safety are a “lie.”

“All of the Democrats can do is lie about me,” stated the testy senator. “Essentially the most outrageous lie they’re telling about me proper now’s that I wish to reduce or finish Social Safety … what elected official would ever wish to reduce Social Safety? It’s absurd on its face. I wish to save Social Safety.”

Johnson warns in his marketing campaign web site that Social Safety advantages might need to be “reduce” with out sufficient cash to help this system. But Johnson enthusiastically voted in the course of the Trump administration to slash company taxes 40%, sucking an estimated $2.3 trillion out of the American Treasury over 10 years.

Ben Nuckels, a Wisconsin-based Democratic strategist, stated Johnson had stepped on the “third rail” of American politics by threatening the soundness of Social Safety and Medicare funding.

“Ron Johnson by no means misses a chance to stay his foot in his mouth,” Nuckels informed The Hill. “Johnson opened up this huge new line of assault together with his radical, excessive positions on Social Safety that voters 55 and over are going to be aware of. When you may have 60 to 65% of the voters above the age of fifty, that’s going to be an enormous downside for him,” he stated.

The Social Safety concern isn’t the one one Johnson is now attempting to dodge.

He’s additionally ducking his try to ship a slate of faux electors to former Vice President Mike Pence to overthrow the 2020 presidential election. Now he insists he was solely concerned for “seconds,” and that he actually had no thought what was happening.

“I had nearly no involvement,” the senator informed a reporter final month. “Actually, my involvement lasted seconds, OK?”

Johnson by no means had the chance to show over the names of the pretend electors as a result of Pence’s chief of workers stated they wouldn’t be accepted.

One of many pretend electors is on Johnson’s marketing campaign payroll. The Division of Justice is at present investigating pretend electors in Wisconsin and 6 different states and their plot to overthrow the selection of voters, based on Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of the Home Jan. 6 fee.

Johnson at present seems to be essentially the most weak of Republican senators within the midterm elections. The 11-year Senate veteran is trailing Democratic opponent Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes by a slim margin, based on current polls, in yet one more instance that excessive Trump loyalty won’t repay within the basic election.