Louisiana Voice

This may well fall under the heading of old news, but at this particular juncture it seems well worth revisiting.

Louisiana has a speaker of the House, two U.S. senators, a governor and a couple other House members who received improper – and illegal – CONTRIBUTIONS from a natural gas firm founded in New Orleans but controlled by a group of Russian oligarchs loyal to Vladimir Putin.

American Ethane, founded by New Orleans attorney John Houghtaling even though 88 percent of the company was controlled by Russian nationals, The Federal Election Commission later came under sharp criticism from two of its Democratic members when the other half, both Republicans, ignored the recommendations of the commission’s Office of General Counsel and IMPOSED A MEANINGLESS FINE OF $9,500.

While Johnson’s campaign said it returned the money after learning of its source, it was no coincidence or accident that a Russian firm would choose to contribute to a particular campaign without expecting something in return. It just doesn’t work that way. Quid pro quo is a Latin term. It’s English translation is: POLITICS.

The three Russian nationals who actually owned American Ethane – Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev – were allies of Putin and Nikolaev was behind efforts b Russian gun rights activist Maria Butina to solidify ties with the NRA and with those close to Donald Trump right about the time of the 2016 election. She pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy against the U.S. and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. She was deported six months following that sentencing.

Remember that infamous photo of her and Bobby Jindal at the 2014 NRA convention?

But probably more significant than all of that, it was Johnson himself who, at Trump’s direction, REJECTED a $24 billion Ukraine aid package near the end of the Biden administration in late 2024 after the Senate had already approved the bill. Only later did he allow the funding to go through.

That was apparently the first – but not the last – time Johnson did an about-face on a controversial issue.

As recently as this past July, Johnson called on the Justice Department to MAKE PUBLIC all documents related to Jeffrey Epstein. Since then, he has done everything humanly possible to keep the files under wraps. Among the unusual steps he has taken to shield the file from public view:

Later that same month, he DISMISSED the House in order to derail efforts to call for a vote on releasing the file.

He has REFUSED to call the House back into session or to have Adelita Grijalva seated as the new Democratic member of the House following her election last month because hers is the decisive vote needed to pass a discharge petition that would force a House vote on releasing the files.

This, then, is the type of representation we have chosen to send to Washington to represent our interests. Mike Johnson is a sanctimonious demagogue whose only mission in life is to carry out the wishes or our PEDO-POTUS. While he DISPLAYS the badge of Christianity and devoutness, he has shown the instincts of someone who is anything but Christian, charitable, or compassionate.

He can PROCLAIM his faith in the Almighty and his love for his fellow man until the holy cows come home, but until he begins acting on the core beliefs of the Christian faith, he is little more than the false prophet the Bible cautions us about.