9/11 First Responder: Ron Johnson Is a ‘Silly Man’ for Pushing Conspiracy Theories About 9/11

KEILAR: “Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson embracing a long-debunked conspiracy theory about 9/11. He went on a far-right podcast suggesting Congress should hold new hearings and specifically addressing building 7 at the World Trade Center. It is that bronze-looking office building that you can see there on your screen on the left. It collapsed hours after terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers, and Senator Johnson promoted the conspiracy theory that it wasn‘t the attack that caused building 7 to collapse.”

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Johnson: “Well, start with building 7. Again, I don‘t know that you can find structural engineers other than the ones that had the corrupt investigation inside NIST that would say that that thing didn‘t come down in any other way than a controlled demolition. I mean, you just — you just look at that. You talk about molten steel. (...) Where‘s all the documentation from this investigation? No, there are a host of questions that I want and I will be asking, quite honestly, now that my eyes have been opened up.”
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KEILAR: “The report that Johnson is referring to there was by the National Institute of Standards and Technology that looked at how debris from the collapse of the north tower of the World Trade Center hit building 7 and set it on fire. It was an extensive three-year scientific and technical building and fire safety investigation that found uncontrolled fires on multiple floors of building 7 caused a critical support column to fail and that building to collapse. With us now is 9/11 first responder John Feal. John, thanks for joining us. And I do want to note that Johnson could call a hearing. He does chair the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. What‘s your reaction to his comments?”
FEAL: “Well, thank you for having me, Brianna. Ron Johnson‘s a silly man. And right now, there‘s no legislation being done, there‘s no governing, and they‘re distracting their base and the American people with nonsense. On the surface, this is silly and pathetic. If Ron Johnson really wants to know what happened on 9/11, I can meet with him, which we will be meeting with his office on Tuesday of next week when we‘re in D.C., I‘ll let him know that innocent lives were lost on 9/11. Heroes died racing towards those innocent lives. And subsequently, 137,000 people are now sick because of the aftermath of 9/11. Ron Johnson‘s priorities are backwards. If he truly, really wants to know, he would put humanity first. And with this administration, with the cuts to NIOSH that administrate the World Trade Center Health Program, this just gets worse and worse for those who are sick and dying. It‘s over 39,000 people right now in the World Trade Center Health Program with a certified cancer. Many of them will die because of the cuts that were made. We‘re in D.C. to get legislation passed. Ron Johnson can start by co-sponsoring S.739, and then I‘ll have a serious conversation with him. But we‘re going to meet with his office on Tuesday, and I‘m going to let them know that their boss is silly, that their boss is putting conspiracy theories before human life. You know, after — if you go back in history, after an historic event, two things happen: conspiracy theories or advocacy. That‘s what separates me and Ron Johnson. I chose advocacy.”