Senators Nearly Come To Blows During Election Hearing

Things got heated between Chairman Ron Johnson and ranking member Gary Peters at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing after the Chairman accused Peters of lying and spreading Russian disinformation.

The hearing was meant to address irregularities in the 2020 election but Johnson took time to confront Peter’s claims that he had spread Russian disinformation about Hunter Biden but according to Johnson it was Peters that had spread false information from Russia.

“I just have to talk about Russian disinformation because the people peddling it are not on my side of the aisle,” Johnson began.

“Senior Democrat leaders, including ranking member Peters,” he continued, “they were involved in a process of creating a false intelligence product, it was supposed to be classified, they leaked to the media, that accused Sen. [Chuck] Grassley, the president pro tempore of the Senate, and myself of accepting and disseminating Russian disinformation.”

Johnson accused Peters of introducing that false information into the record of the committee’s investigation. He pointed out that after the Democrats tried to dismiss the evidence found in Hunter Biden’s laptop it was later revealed that the Justice Department was conducting a real investigation involving Biden.

“So it’s just galling – and I have to point out,” said Johnson, “that the purveyors of Russian disinformation, Hillary Clinton’s campaign, the DNC, the Steele dossier, the ranking member Peters accusing Sen. Grassley and I of disseminating Russian disinformation – that’s where the disinformation is coming, the lies, the false allegations.”

Previously in the hearing, Peters said it was “dangerous” to hold a hearing on election irregularities because it dealt with false claims about the election.

Johnson responded by saying that suspicions of election irregularities are not disinformation, but questions that need answers to “restore confidence in our election integrity.”

Peters insisted that he had nothing to do with the document Johnson referred to but the chairman wasn’t hearing it.

Johnson interjected,” You lied repeatedly. You lied repeatedly to the press that I was spreading Russian disinformation, and that was an outright lie, and I told you to stop lying and you continued to do it.”

Peters tried to deflect by saying that the hearing was not meant “for the airing of grievances.”

Johnson fired back, “It is what you have done to this committee, falsely accusing the chairman of spreading disinformation. Nothing could have been further from the truth and you’re spouting it again, which is why I had to respond.”

The chairman then banged his gavel and the hearing moved on.