During an interview with House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) that was aired on Wednesday’s broadcast of CNN’s “OutFront,” host Erin Burnett said she was trying to understand why Johnson is “choosing to get involved in” the issues at Columbia University, a school that receives indirect money from the federal government.
Burnett introduced the interview by saying, “There are pro-Palestinian protests across the United States spreading, violent clashes today between police and students at USC and UT-Austin, where more than 20 people were arrested. This follows protests at NYU, Brown University, and Columbia University where an encampment has taken over part of the center of campus, more than 100 have been arrested, in-person classes have been canceled after eight straight days of demonstrations. I was on that campus earlier today to interview the House Speaker, Mike Johnson.”
During the interview, Burnett asked, “I’m trying to understand though, why, as Speaker of the House, this is an issue you would want to get involved with. It’s a private university. It’s an issue happening here. Why is this something that you are choosing to get involved in and calling for the removal of the president of a private university?”
Johnson responded, “Well, they receive federal funding as well. And Congress is looking at all of these aspects to determine how they’re using those funds, is that appropriate? If they can’t fulfill their basic obligations, I don’t think the American taxpayers want to be funding this kind of thing.”
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