Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has already drawn scrutiny for his past espousal of Biblical literalist beliefs and his role in trying to obstruct the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
But another question is swirling around him,
reported The Daily Beast: the state of his personal finances.
"Over the course of seven years, Johnson has never reported a checking or savings account in his name, nor in the name of his wife or any of his children, disclosures show. In fact, he doesn’t appear to have money stashed in any investments, with his latest filing — covering 2022 — showing no assets whatsoever," reported Roger Sollenberger, noting that he probably does have a bank account, but just doesn't have enough money in it to trigger reporting requirements.
"House Ethics Committee filing guidelines state that members must disclose bank accounts they have at every financial institution, as long as the account holds at least $1,000 and the combined value of all accounts — including those belonging to their spouse and dependent children — exceeds $5,000," the report continued.
This appears to back up
previous exclusive reporting by Raw Story, which found that Johnson disclosed no assets, and only reported debts including a mortgage, personal loan, and home equity line of credit — all despite his $174,000 congressional salary and around $30,000 in income from teaching at the far-right evangelical school Liberty University.
"It’s strange to see Speaker Johnson disclose no assets,” Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) communications director Jordan Libowitz told The Beast. “He made over $200,000 last year, and his wife took home salary from two employers as well, so why isn’t there a bank account or any form of savings listed?”
He noted that if Johnson's financial situation is this poor, it would leave him open to exploitation and manipulation.
www.rawstory.com
