Get ready for an event that has raised some eyebrows. House Speaker Mike Johnson is set to speak at a Christian nationalist event next week, signaling that the extreme faction of the Republican Party is now firmly in charge.
Johnson will be the keynote speaker at the National Association of Christian Lawmakers’ annual gala. This revelation didn’t make waves until Rolling Stone reported on it earlier this week, bringing attention to an organization with a clear agenda to integrate religious beliefs into the law.
The NACL describes its mission as bringing lawmakers together to support biblical principles in federal, state, and local legislation. This includes pushing anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ rights agendas. The NACL has played a pivotal role in passing oppressive anti-abortion laws, including the controversial abortion vigilante law in Texas that deputized citizens to act as bounty hunters. The organization’s founder Jason Rapert has also been a leading figure in this movement.
Johnson’s alignment with the NACL comes as no surprise, given his track record of opposing abortion access, LGBTQ rights, and environmental policy on religious grounds. He has been a regular presence at right-wing events and failed to disclose a trip to a right-wing conference in 2019.
It’s clear that Johnson’s apparent alliance with Christian nationalist organizations calls for serious consideration of what kind of party is truly in control.