MSNBC host Jen Psaki mocked House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for sharing his Christian faith in his first speech as speaker.
In his speech, Johnson shared how he believed each elected official had been “raised up” into authority by God. Psaki, a former White House press secretary, poked fun at his statement by calling it a “humblebrag” during her show, “Inside with Jen Psaki,” on Sunday.
“I don’t believe there are any coincidences in a matter like this,” Johnson told members of the House of Representatives. “I believe that Scripture, the Bible is…very clear that God is the one that raises up those in authority. He raised up each of you, all of us. And, I believe that God has ordained and allowed each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment and this time. This is my belief.”
Johnson added that he believed each of the elected politicians had a “huge responsibility” to use their God-given “gifts” to “serve the extraordinary people” of the United States.
“During his first speech in his new job, Johnson suggested that his election as speaker was, an act of God,” Psaki said. “Talk about a bit of a humblebrag there.”
“His views on policy are essentially what you’d expect from a religious fundamentalist — they’re more divisive than divine.”
— Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) October 29, 2023
@jrpsaki on newly elected House speaker Mike Johnson. pic.twitter.com/DQs7uKnTiX
Psaki continued, “So, what exactly has God apparently called on Mike Johnson to do? Well, his views on policy are essentially what you’d expect from a religious fundamentalist. They’re more divisive than they are divine.”
In an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Johnson credited the Bible for his worldview.
“Someone asked me today in the media, they said, ‘It’s curious, people are curious, What does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun?'” Johnson said in his interview. “I said, ‘Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it – that’s my worldview.’ That’s what I believe and so I make no apologies for it.”
“It’s not just his political ideology that should scare us,” Psaki wrote in a post on Saturday on the MSNBC website. “Johnson is basically a Christian fundamentalist. He believes that America is a Christian nation, and that those values should be reflected in our interpretation of the Constitution.”
Johnson has been a member of several different churches over the years, and currently attends Cypress Baptist Church in Benton, Louisiana, according to Christianity Today. He has also previously worked as a lawyer with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a Christian legal group.
While he was working at the ADF, Johnson reportedly wrote various editorials, including ones where he spoke out against homosexuality, according to CNN.