MSNBC contributor: Republican Party is a front for a ‘terrorist movement,’ likens GOP to terror cell

The Republican Party is a ‘front for a terrorist movement,’ MSNBC contributor and controversial political scientist Dr. Jason Johnson argued on the network Thursday, comparing the GOP to a ‘terror cell.’ 

Dr. Johnson made an appearance on ‘Deadline: White House,’ where he proceeded to make the brazen comparison while discussing the relationship between former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party as the 2024 presidential election draws ever near.

Dr. Johnson, who is an associate professor of communication and journalism at HBCU Morgan State University, referred to Trump as ‘the bad guy’ and called the Republican Party itself a ‘front for a terrorist movement.’

‘If Trump is on the ballot in 2024, it’s the easiest thing in the world for Democrats because you can always run against the bad guy,’ Johnson said.

‘But I think the bigger more dangerous thing, and I’ve been saying for a while, I’m working hard to never say “Republican Party” again because it’s not a party.’ 

‘The GOP is no longer a governing party and news outlets should stop using that term.’  

Former President Donald Trump, pictured, is ‘the bad guy’ and the Republican Party itself a ‘front for a terrorist movement,’ Dr. Johnson said Thursday

The author, who is a paid contributor to MSNBC, was temporarily removed from the network back in February 2020 after comparing female black women who support Bernie Sanders to ‘the Island of Misfit Black Girls.’ 

He was also fired from his position as politics editor at African-American oriented magazine The Root because of the comment.

‘They have given up all pretense of being a part of the Democratic process and only exist as a vehicle to restore Trump to power through violence or malfeasance,’ Johnson tweeted in support of his argument made during Thursday’s appearance on MSNBC.  

‘They’re Sinn Féin to the IRA. They’re the PLO to Hamas. They are a dime storefront for a terrorist movement.’  

The organizations Johnson described are a variety of notorious terrorist groups from around the world.

The Palestinian Liberation Organization, or PLO, was designated a terror group back in 1987 after it claimed responsibility for multiple terror attacks against Israel, most notably the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.  

 

Hamas is a radical militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, and the United States has listed it as a terror group for years. 

The Irish Republican Army (IRA) was a republican paramilitary terrorist group that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland. 

Several people on social media were quick to disagree with Dr. Johnson’s assessment.

‘Don’t be silly,’ someone wrote.

‘When a Leftist speaks it’s just Seinfeld’s bizarro world. Everything 180 degrees opposite,’ another user tweeted in response.

‘I’d like to agree, but I in fact believe this line of thought leads directly to Democratic defeat in ’22 and ’24. Sorry. And I think it’s obvious,’ someone else chimed in.  

Johnson went on to cite a recent letter from Republican National Committee to the Commission on Presidential Debates, which stated it will require 2024 presidential GOP candidates to pledge not to partake in any debates. 

‘They just announced in The New York Times today, where they’re asking their 2024 nominees to not engage in presidential debates. They’re no longer a party. And so, nothing surprises me anymore,’ Johnson added.

Johnson also accused the Republican Party of trying to cheat the 2022 midterm elections, while demanding a federal takeover of the elections in red states. 

The political scientist has made several other noteworthy statements regarding the 2020 US presidential election during his time on MSNBC.

In January 2019, Johnson stated that Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign was done and that he would drop out by August before asserting that billionaire presidential candidate was not an oligarch, prompting The Root’s Saagar Enjeti to call Johnson a ‘professional wrong person.’

Johnson eventually returned to MSNBC in July 2020 and remains a regular political panelist.