7, the day after the attack on the Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Johnson then billed taxpayers $565 to fly to Washington two days later to vote on certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Johnson was among those who voted in favor of certification, after first indicating that he planned to join with 10 other Republican senators in objecting to the certification. Johnson also did a televised interview with host Chuck Todd of NBC's "Meet the Press" from Fort Myers. Travel records show that Johnson attended a meeting, via teleconference from Florida, with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and a couple of Republican senators at Trump International Hotel to discuss allegations of election fraud on Jan. Those flights between Florida and Washington cost taxpayers anywhere from $227 to $1,152. Johnson, first elected in 2010, took no trips to or from Fort Myers before the Florida house was purchased by JFT Investments in 2013.īy contrast, Wisconsin's senior senator went to Fort Myers at least nine times between Jan. Johnson's adult children also own a private business jet that he used to travel between Wisconsin and Washington during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Ben Johnson, the senator's son, had been listed as the company's registered agent, and Jane Johnson once signed a notice for repairs to the house. The limited liability corporation, a holding company for various properties, used to share the same address with Pacur, an Oshkosh plastics company formerly owned by Johnson. JFT Investments is an affiliate of the Johnson family trust, which was set up by the senator and his wife, Jane Johnson, for their three children, Johnson's office confirmed. JFT Investments LLC bought a 3,400-square-foot waterfront house in Fort Myers, near Sanibel Island, for $1.6 million in October 2013. I am for total transparency. I am for the truth."įederal records show that Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, has been reimbursed for 19 flights from Fort Myers, Florida, to Washington between 2013 and May 2021. Last month, Johnson invited scrutiny of his government spending, telling Brian Kilmeade of Fox News that he was for "total disclosure." He added, "The public has a right to know. More: Bice: Billionaires Diane Hendricks and Uihleins pump $3.5 million into new group backing U.S.
"He has never been reimbursed for travel to visit family in Florida but is reimbursed for returning for official business to Washington, D.C."
"The senator has always gone above and beyond to abide by Senate rules," said Johnson spokeswoman Alexa Henning. Capitol.īut Johnson officials say these are legitimate expenses that were all approved by the Senate Rules Committee. Ron Johnson has been using taxpayer dollars to cover the cost of flights between a Florida family vacation home and Washington, D.C., including nine such trips last year, federal records show.ĭemocrats say the expenditures by the multimillionaire Republican are a waste of public money because they say the trips have nothing to do with his official job representing Wisconsin at the U.S.
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