Johnson: GOP Town Hall Protesters Are Being Paid

KAITLIN COLLINS: And we’ve seen the blowback that some Republicans in your caucus are getting when they go back home to their districts, worried about these cuts or worried about what DOGE is doing. Do you have concerns that that’s anything that Democrats will be able to use to run against those Republicans?

JOHNSON: No, no, I don’t because the videos you saw of the town halls were for paid protesters in many of those places. These are Democrats who went to the events early and filled up the seats. If the videos had panned out–

COLLINS: You can’t argue they were all paid protestors, though, Mr. Speaker.

JOHNSON: Many of them were. I don’t know.

COLLINS: One Republican acknowledged they were his constituents.

JOHNSON: Uh, one Republican acknowledged they were constituents. That’s fantastic. Okay, but they had Democrats come and fill the seats early, all right? This is an old playbook that they pulled out and ran, and it made it look like that what is happening in Washington is unpopular. But I’m gonna tell you, Kaitlan, the American people are behind what’s happening.

Johnson: The videos you saw of the town halls were for paid protesters

Collins: A Republican acknowledged they were his constituents.

Johnson: They had Democrats come and fill the seats pic.twitter.com/EnPfxMaled

— Acyn (@Acyn) February 27, 2025