Ron Johnson to testify at House hearing on 'weaponization' of the federal government

WASHINGTON – Wisconsin U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson will testify Thursday during a Republican-led hearing of the congressional subcommittee investigating the alleged weaponization of the government against Republicans.

The Oshkosh Republican plans to speak about the “roadblocks” he faced from government agencies during his investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, that concluded in 2020 while Johnson was the chair of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Johnson's office told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, former Hawaii U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who recently quit the Democratic Party, and former FBI special agent Nicole Parker will also testify during the hearing, according to CNN, which was first to report the developments.

"For years, Senator Johnson has warned the public about the coordination between government agencies, Democrat members of Congress, and the liberal media to suppress and censor the truth," Johnson spokeswoman Corinne Day said in a statement. "The senator has witnessed firsthand the lengths these entities will go to obstruct and discredit anyone who attempts to provide transparency and facts that run counter to the left-wing agenda."

She added: "He looks forward to providing his testimony and perspective before the House Select Committee."

Thursday’s hearing will be the first from the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, a panel established by Republicans to look into purported bias in national security agencies. The witness list from the subcommittee under the House Judiciary Committee indicates the committee could scrutinize agencies from the Department of Justice to the FBI this week.

It was not immediately clear whether Johnson and the other witnesses will be questioned by committee Democrats.

Johnson’s testimony is likely to center around his investigation with Grassley into Hunter Biden’s ties to a Ukrainian energy company, Burisma, while Joe Biden, then vice president, was helping to direct U.S. policy toward Ukraine.

No evidence of wrongdoing by the Bidens has been made public, and Hunter Biden has denied using his influence with his father to aid Burisma.

Johnson in recent years has put a focus on the younger Biden's laptop, which was the subject of controversy in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election. He has accused the FBI of suppressing information about the device and has frequently repeated a claim that the FBI set him up during his investigation — referring to a briefing he received in August 2020 in which the FBI warned Johnson that he could be a target for Russian disinformation.

But Johnson dismissed that warning as a ploy. He said the FBI briefing didn't include specifics and that he already knew of the threat from Russia. He said he believed he was being given the briefing so it could be used against him later.

Thursday's hearing is not the only panel that that could touch on Johnson's Biden investigation. Republicans in the House — now in the House majority — have pledged to put a focus on the Bidens this Congress.

The House Oversight Committee, chaired by Republican U.S. Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, will again examine Hunter Biden’s business dealings and is scheduled this week to hold a hearing on how Twitter might have suppressed information on its website related to Hunter Biden’s laptop.

Hunter Biden is under the scrutiny of federal investigators in connection to potential tax crimes and for reportedly lying on paperwork to purchase a gun.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson to testify at hearing on 'weaponization' of U.S. agencies