Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) turned off Instagram mentions on his official government account after a social media uproar over his passage of Ukraine aid.
Instagram users can no longer mention the leader of the so-called “People’s House” in posts on the popular app, a change that limits users’ ability to engage with Johnson’s official account.
The setting is unusual for politicians, particularly on Capitol Hill, who generally maximize their engagement with the people they serve.
Notably, Johnson joins Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in turning off his mentions.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) (L) greets President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky as he arrives to address a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on December 21, 2022, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty)
Breitbart News asked a Johnson spokesperson why the Speaker turned off mentions and if the decision is permanent, but did not receive a response. Johnson’s first post on his instagram account appears to be February 8, 2017, a month after taking office.
Johnson was a longtime opponent of additional wartime aid to Ukraine until his monumental flip-flop following a meeting on February 27 with President Joe Biden at the White House. Until then, Johnson had joined most Republicans in insisting the House would not consider foreign aid without first addressing the border crisis.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) arrives to speak to members of the media outside the West Wing after meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, February 27, 2024. (Andrew Harnik, File/AP)
Hours after Iran’s missile attacks on Israel, Johnson unveiled a scheme that enabled him to unlock over $60 billion in Ukraine aid by exploiting the urgency to aid Israel, one of the United States’ closest allies. That package passed the House Saturday with a majority of Republicans voting against Ukraine aid.
The procedural vote to allow votes on the package was also passed with more Democrats in support than Republicans, a stunning historical development that essentially allowed the minority party to control the House floor agenda.
The Ukraine bill passed the Senate late Tuesday night and was signed into law by President Biden Wednesday.
“In the end we did what America always does, we rose to the moment,” Biden said in praising Congress for handing him his first and long-sought-for major foreign policy achievement.
Bradley Jaye is a Capitol Hill Correspondent for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter at @BradleyAJaye.
