In 2012, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson was allegedly ready to purge most of his DC-based staff in order to “refocus his efforts on political messaging.” At the time, Roll Call noted that “he could also be creating political jeopardy for himself in Wisconsin by pivoting so publicly to focus on political messaging…”
Flash forward to today, and Johnson has created another headache for himself after it was revealed his office sat on complaints from a Wisconsin VA whistleblower. Wisconsin’s other Senator has held her staff accountable for mistakes by demoting a staffer and docking the pay from another.
And what about Ron Johnson who once was ready to fire his staffers for not being political enough? Surely he would be holding himself and his office accountable, right? Wrong.
Johnson has refused to accept any responsibility for letting the whistleblower tips die in a “congressional black hole.” In fact, Johnson has blamed his inaction on everything from Wisconsin’s other Senator to recess and the lame duck to the fact that his staff were conducting “job interviews and stuff” that took up their time.
Maybe firing his entire staff wasn’t such a bad idea.
Or maybe he’s the one who should be fired.
“Ron Johnson was prepared to purge his Washington staff because they weren’t focused enough on political messaging, but now, when Wisconsin veterans are suffering and looking for leadership, Ron Johnson has refused to take responsibility for his actions,” said DSCC National Press Secretary Sadie Weiner. “Ron Johnson can keep blaming others for the fact that he ignored VA whistleblower tips, but he’s made it crystal clear that his priorities lie with politics over people. Wisconsin deserves better than a Senator like Ron Johnson who refuses to accept responsibility for a mistake or take action to fix it.”
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