Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty
It’s no mystery what Rep. Mike Johnson said when he delivered the keynote address at the Council for National Policy’s conference at the New Orleans Ritz-Carlton on Oct. 4, 2019. There’s a video of his 31-minute speech which was leaked to watchdog group Documented and published online in 2020.
But what is a mystery is who paid for Johnson to be there, how much they paid, and whether the future Speaker of the House violated disclosure laws by failing to report his trip to New Orleans and the expenses associated with his attendance at an elite, far-right conservative conference.
If you take the example of other members of Congress who have spoken to CNP, the costs can rack up quickly when you consider travel, lodging, meals, and the conference registration fee.