Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) claimed without offering any evidence Wednesday that Americans who attended recent rowdy Republican town halls were “paid protesters.” Several GOP lawmakers have been booed or confronted at the local events this month by constituents concerned about the Trump administration’s efforts to fire thousands of federal workers.

Mike Johnson claims ‘paid protesters’ are disrupting GOP town halls — then backtracks when asked for proof - ‘You can’t argue they were all paid protestors, though, Mr. Speaker,’ CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins pushed back,