Latest news with #HankJohnson
Int'l Business Times
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Democratic Lawmaker Mocked After Singing Anti-Trump Song for 'Black Music Month': 'Don't Give Up Your Day Job'
Georgia Rep. Hank Johnson posted his own rough rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe"—rewritten as an anti-Trump protest song—in honor of Black Music Month. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) was met with mockery online after posting a video of himself playing a rendition of Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe"—rewritten as an anti-Trump protest song—in honor of Black Music Month. June is Black Music Month. This year, I decided to come back with another jam session for you all. Here is my rendition of "Hey Joe" by the Godfather of Rock, Jimi Hendrix. — Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) June 18, 2025 Armed with a Fender Stratocaster, Johnson introduced the video by saying he was "just learning to play guitar" and asked viewers not to "hold it against" him. He then launched into a politically charged performance featuring lyrics such as, "Hey Trump, where you goin' with that gun in your hand? / I'm going down the street to shoot down democracy." Critics from across the political spectrum blasted the 3-minute performance as awkward and poorly executed, seizing on the off-key guitar and partisan lyrics. Bro, wtf did I just watch? — Tesp (@Therealtesp) June 19, 2025 "Don't give up your day job," one user quipped. "Dude, put that guitar down and take more lessons," urged one comment, with several encouraging him to "maybe try tuning the guitar first." Heyyy Hank,Please tune that dang guitar if you can,Heyyy Hank, Please tune that dang guitar if you can — The Doctor (@TennantRob) June 19, 2025 Others expressed secondhand embarrassment, with comments like, "The cringe level in this is immeasurable," and, "My God this man is an absolute embarrassment. Do Democrats meet on Zoom every morning to see who can be the most ridiculous person of the day? — Original Settler (@MAPatriot1630) June 20, 2025 The backlash comes amid heightened political tensions nationally, and some users contrasted the lighthearted jam session with ongoing global conflicts and domestic crises. "We're on the brink of unnecessary war and this is what you're doing?" one user wrote. We are not a serious country. 🤡 — Leeleeliberty (@Leeleeliberty11) June 19, 2025 Despite the negative reaction, Johnson framed the performance as a tribute to Black musical heritage and a personal expression of political concern. Critics, however, appear more focused on his musical chops than his message. Originally published on Latin Times © Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Fox News
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Dem lawmaker sparks social media firestorm with 'cringe' anti-Trump guitar performance: 'Talk about tone-deaf'
Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Georgia, garnered some backlash from conservatives on social for a rendition of "Hey Joe," which was made popular by Jimi Hendrix and other artists in the '60s, which he retooled as a criticism of President Donald Trump. "I hate to hurt your ears and everything, but I'm just learning to play guitar," he said in a video posted to X on Wednesday, adding that he was inspired by Black Music Month to provide political commentary through song. He noted that he was "just learning to play guitar," then proceeded to sing an anti-Trump parody of the famous song. "Hey Trump, where you goin' with that gun in your hand?" Johnson sang. "I'm goin' down the street to shoot democracy. You know I wanna be a king someday." As of Friday afternoon, the video had received over 800 comments on the platform, most of which were criticisms from conservatives. "Talk about Tone-Deaf messaging!" Media Research Center posted on X. "Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson releases hilariously bad anti-Trump song, and you just have to hear this." "This would make Jimi Hendrix advocate for a ground war with Iran," Josh Holmes, co-host of the Ruthless Podcast, posted on X. "Democrat Rep. Hank Johnson sings an Anti-Trump song on his guitar about Trump shooting down Democracy with a gun to be a king," conservative influencer account LibsofTikTok posted on X. "Yes, this is real…." Another user simply quipped, "I love the internet." "Heyyy Hank, Please tune that dang guitar if you can," another one wrote, directly pulling from the lyrics of the song. Hendrix most notably played "Hey Joe" at the notorious Woodstock Festival in 1969. "Democrats are doing another one of their cringe sing-a-longs," Ben Petersen, National War Room Director of the National Republican Congressional Committee, posted on X. "This horribly sounding performance is yet another waste of our tax dollars and proof of the uselessness of the Democrat Party," conservative influencer Paul A. Szypula posted on X. "Ok. A few things. If you're going to do a song like this, it's best to tune your guitar beforehand," Jeff Charles, news editor at Townhall, posted on X. "Also, covering Jimi Hendrix when you don't know how to tune a guitar is cringe AF. The lyrics are something I could have come up with when I was five years old. I'm almost embarassed for him." "Hank Johnson - Thinks Guam can capsize… Also Hank Johnson - Thinks he can play guitar," comedian Tim Young posted on X. "He's dumber than AOC. Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson's office for comment. The video comes as Democrats continue to experiment with different social media strategies during Trump's second term and have consistently faced criticism from conservatives for doing so, including earlier this year when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other House Democrats were lambasted online over "choose your fighter" TikTok video.
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Supreme Court Structure Would Be Upended Under New Bill
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Representative Hank Johnson, a Democrat from Georgia, reintroduced the Supreme Court Tenure Establishment and Retirement Modernization (TERM) Act on Wednesday, which would create term limits for justices and a new system of nominating them. The proposal, supported by several House Democrats and advocacy organizations, is designed to address concerns about the Court's independence and the increasingly partisan nature of the confirmation process. Why It Matters Supporters argue that establishing term limits and a regular appointment schedule could reduce the partisan stakes of Supreme Court vacancies and help restore public confidence in the judiciary. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., questions ATF Director Steven Dettelbach during the House Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Oversight of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives," Rayburn Building on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., questions ATF Director Steven Dettelbach during the House Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Oversight of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives," Rayburn Building on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images If enacted, the TERM Act would represent the first major change to the tenure and appointment process for Supreme Court justices in over two centuries, with implications for the balance of power among the branches of the federal government. What to Know The TERM Act would establish 18-year terms for justices in active service on the Supreme Court, at which point they would assume a form of senior status. While justices would retain life tenure, which would preserve constitutional protections for judicial independence, they would primarily serve in an "active" capacity for a single, non-renewable term. Once the term ends, justices would continue to hold their office but would participate in cases only if called upon under certain circumstances. Under the bill, new Supreme Court justices would be nominated every two years, specifically in the first and third years following a presidential election. This appointment cadence is intended to reduce disparities in the number of appointments each president may make, ensure more predictable turnover, and decrease political tensions during nomination periods. Current justices would transition to senior status based on their length of service as new justices are confirmed. The Act maintains the current number of nine justices on the Supreme Court. If, at any time, the number of justices in active service drops below nine, whether due to death, resignation, or recusal, a justice from those with senior status would be randomly selected to serve temporarily on the Court to maintain its full complement. For sitting justices, the Act would initiate a staggered transition to senior status. As new justices are appointed in accordance with the new schedule, the longest-serving current justice would move to senior status, and so forth, to avoid immediate mass turnover. According to the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) at the University of Denver, the average tenure of Supreme Court justices since 1970 has risen to about 25 years, far longer than in previous eras. The bill has attracted multiple Democratic cosponsors, such as Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin, Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal, and New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, as well as the endorsement of organizations including Demand Justice, Brennan Center for Justice, and People For the American Way. "We are a nation of laws grounded in the independence and impartiality of our judicial system. This independence is designed to ensure that our justices are shielded behind a veil of neutrality, free from pressure and influence," Johnson said in a statement. Newsweek reached out to Johnson for additional comment. Johnson previously introduced the bill in 2023. It was then referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary, but it did not proceed further. The bill had 67 co-sponsors, all Democrats, with six original co-sponsors. What People Are Saying Johnson, in a statement: "Creating 18-year term limits for Supreme Court justices, with a new justice taking the bench every two years, would help ensure that the justices make decisions based solely on law and fact, depoliticizing the confirmation process. At a time when federal courts are acting as the protectors of our democracy, this is a necessary step toward bolstering confidence, faith and independence to our nation's highest court." Svante Myrick, president of People For the American Way, in a statement: "Some presidents have appointed no justices; others appointed a third of the Court in a single term. That imbalance has fueled growing public distrust in the legitimacy of our nation's highest court. The TERM Act is a move in the right direction, aligning the Court with the will of the American people, the majority of whom across the political spectrum support Supreme Court term limits." What Happens Next The TERM Act awaits committee consideration in the House of Representatives. It's unlikely to come to the floor for a vote, though, because it would likely require Speaker of the House Mike Johnson to bring it up for consideration and the bill currently has no Republican co-sponsors. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
Fox News
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Democrat Hank Johnson draws Holocaust comparison while blasting deportations
House Judiciary Committee member Hank Johnson, R-Ga., made waves when he made allusions to the Holocaust while obliquely criticizing the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the arrest of Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan. Johnson was speaking during a Wednesday committee markup meeting when he began paraphrasing German preacher Martin Niemöller's confession as someone who once supported the Nazi Party until it was too late to object to its mounting atrocities. "You know, first, they came for the Latinos outside of the Home Depots, trying to get work so that they could feed their families," Johnson began. "And I didn't say anything about it because I'm not a Latino at the Home Depot." "Then they came for the Hispanic-looking folks [with] hats backward with tattoos. And they deported them to El Salvador. And I didn't say anything about that because I don't wear my [hat] backward, and I don't have any tattoos, and I don't look like a Latino." "Then they came for the Latinas at home, taking care of the children. They scooped up the Latinas and the children, some of whom were American citizens, one of whom was receiving treatment for cancer. They swept them up, took them off, and deported them. And I didn't say anything about it. Because I'm not a Latina. I'm not a little child who's an American citizen." Johnson went on to make the same allusion to students protesting in support of Hamas on campus, who have been another target of the Trump administration. "They sent jackbooted thugs wearing masks to pick them up, take them thousands of miles away and put them in a private for-profit detention center where they languish at taxpayer expense. And I didn't say anything about it because I'm not a student on a foreign visa," Johnson said. He then noted how Dugan had been arrested for allegedly aiding an illegal immigrant in avoiding federal immigration authorities, saying he did not speak up because he was not a "White female judge." "But then they came for me. And I looked around, and there was nobody left because I had remained silent," he said. Johnson concluded by noting he paraphrased a poem from Germany, saying it "resonated back then as it does today." "It's important that the people understand what is happening with our constitutional rights in this country. Everyone is entitled to due process, whether or not you are documented or undocumented, whether or you are a citizen or not. You're entitled to due process." He said an amendment up for a vote in the markup sought to affirm that. An amendment in the meeting record would have prohibited certain funds from being used to remove "an alien in violation of their rights under the Fifth Amendment." It was voted down. Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson for comment, as well as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, for response. On X, the official House Judiciary Committee Republican account mocked Johnson's remarks, writing, "Wow, Hank Johnson just implied that all Latinos hang out at Home Depot." Johnson's penchant for colorful remarks goes back more than a decade to 2010, when he warned then-Pacific Fleet commander Adm. Robert Willard during a House Armed Service Committee hearing on military-buildup plans that Guam could potentially "tip over and capsize" due to overpopulation. Democrats have recently shifted their comments on Garcia's case more toward concerns about due process, after Tennessee police video showing a run-in with Garcia allegedly trafficking migrants was released.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judges often quit to avoid misconduct investigations. A new bill in Congress would stop that.
Several judges have resigned or retired after facing allegations of sexism or misconduct. A new bill would let the judiciary continue to investigate claims even after judges step down. It's currently only supported by Democrats, the minority party in both houses of Congress. Federal judges staring down investigations about sexism or misconduct in office have used a loophole: Retire or resign, and the investigation goes away. A new bill could end the practice. Congressman Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat who introduced the bill, said judges and courts shouldn't "sweep bad behavior under the rug." Nine other Democrats, including high-profile New York representative Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are cosponsoring the bill. The two-page proposal would add language to federal laws around judicial complaints, saying investigations should occur "without regard to the resignation, retirement… or death of the judge whose conduct is the subject of the complaint." Aliza Shatzman founded the Legal Accountability Project after experiencing what she described as harassment and retaliation while working for a judge, said she worked with Johnson's office on the bill. She said people in the federal judiciary have told her that their hands are tied once a judge leaves. "This would untie those hands," she said. "Theoretically, it's something they should support." She hopes Republicans will support the bill because judicial misconduct doesn't have a political party. "Both Democratic and Republican appointees mistreat their clerks," she said. The bill faces uncertain prospects if it doesn't get GOP support. House Republicans, including the judiciary committee, have been focused on passing legislation to enable President Donald Trump to crack down on immigrants. Richard Painter, a government-ethics expert formerly affiliated with one of the groups backing the bill, said it's possible that the judiciary would oppose the measure because judges see themselves as capable of policing their own conduct. "You can't just say separation of powers means there's no checks and balances," he said. "I don't buy those arguments, but you might hear those arguments." Johnson's office said judges accused of sexual harassment have resigned, including José Antonio Fusté in 2016 and Alex Kozinski in 2017, before the disciplinary process could run its course. More recently, a federal judge in Alaska, Joshua Kindred, resigned after an investigation found that he made inappropriate sexual comments to his staff and began a sexual relationship with one of his clerks after she became a prosecutor. Kozinski has said it was "never my intent" to make his clerks uncomfortable. Business Insider was unable to contact Fusté. Historically, judges and their clerks have had close relationships; a 1992 law review article described how one judge's clerks would spend the night at his house and babysit his grandchildren. There is now much more scrutiny on such relationships and the potential for overwork and exploitation of clerks and staff. Sometimes, the allegations rise to the level of official complaints, and courts take action. Judge Pauline Newman, a member of a federal appeals court that hears high-stakes intellectual property disputes, is fighting for her job after some employees expressed concern about her mental health. Several other lawyers and judges have said Newman remains sharp, and accused other judges of overreacting. Last year, the legal reporter David Lat reported that a Trump-appointed judge in Florida who was criticized over decisions she made in one of his criminal cases lost two clerks over heavy workloads and what one clerk told friends was "mean" conduct. And Shatzman wrote on the website Above The Law that a federal judge in Minnesota left the bench after being accused of mistreating and retaliating against employees. A representative for Republicans on the House judiciary committee didn't respond to a request for comment. Read the original article on Business Insider
