- Johnson’s team argued that he is on the phone more now that he is chairman and noted that he has done several media interviews since taking the gavel
- According to the report, Johnson often answered impromptu questions from reporters before becoming speaker, but stopped after taking up the gavel
House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office is putting the New York Times on alert after the newspaper accused the Republican leader of using his cell phone in the halls of Congress to avoid answering reporters’ questions.
In Friday’s report, the New York Times said the congressman once “routinely stopped for hallway interviews” but that he has “adopted the habit of pressing his iPhone to his ear” while walking through the Capitol, asking questions to avoid.
The once little-known congressman from Louisiana was elected chairman in October and quickly found himself battling a rowdy and often divided Republican conference to address a series of looming administration deadlines, a task that proved too much for his predecessor Kevin McCarthy.
The Times noted that Johnson, a fourth-term congressman before being elected speaker, often subjected himself to “impromptu and sometimes lengthy question-and-answer sessions” with reporters around votes, but stopped that practice since he took the gavel had won.
But the speaker’s office is having none of it, criticizing the New York Times on social media.
‘Proud to keep the Speaker booked and busy. Maybe the NYT just didn’t tune in?’ Speaker Johnson’s director of media affairs, Corinne Day, posted on X in response to the story.
Speaker Johnson seen on his phone on Capitol Hill. His staff has pushed back against a New York Times report suggesting he takes phone calls to avoid talking to the media.
Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on January 30, 2024.
His deputy chief communications officer, Raj Shah, also put the Times on edge, tweeting: “NYT disrupted the Speaker’s conversations with advisers on the way to meetings.”
He included a series of statistics showing that Johnson has given 25 interviews and 10 press conferences since taking the gavel. He also pointed out that President Biden had only conducted two interviews and three press conferences during the same period.
‘Who is unreachable?’ Shah tweeted.
Aide Taylor Haulsee also wrote, “In a feat of journalism, the NYT has discovered that Mike Johnson is on the phone more often now that he is Speaker of the House of Representatives.”
Johnson’s team has also scaled back his television appearances, largely with friendly media organizations such as Fox News, pointing to his recent appearances on CNN, CNBC and CBS.
Although Johnson’s team has pushed back on accusations that he uses his phone as an excuse to avoid the press, Johnson’s approach to the speaker is different from that of his immediate predecessors.
Then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi at one of her weekly press conferences in December 2022.
Kevin McCarthy responded to questions from reporters on Capitol Hill on October 3, the day members voted to remove him as speaker of the House of Representatives.
Former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi often held weekly solo news conferences where she answered numerous questions from reporters. She frequently answered questions from reporters who followed her on the Hill.
Before he was ousted as speaker, Kevin McCarthy also interacted regularly with reporters as he made his way through the halls of Congress.
But Johnson took up the gavel at a time when Republicans in the House of Representatives were in disarray, having ousted one of their own leaders and struggling again and again to successfully choose a replacement.
Before Johnson became the most powerful member of the House of Representatives, he had only a minor leadership role.
He was not the first or even second choice to replace McCarthy before House Republicans finally rallied behind him, ending the paralysis in Congress.
Since becoming chairman, he has taken a hard line: working to keep the government running without clashing with his own caucus members who quickly turned on the last speaker.