Republican Senator caught out attempting to avoid reporters by 'pretending to be on a call'

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) was caught seemingly pretending to be on the phone while trying to avoid reporters on Tuesday by MSNBC.

In the video a reporter approaches Senator Johnson, 67, outside of the Capitol building and asks: "How much did you know about what your chief of staff was doing with alternate slates of electors?"

The question pertains to information revealed during Tuesday's January 6 hearing where the House Select Committee revealed Trump and his lawyers tried to get state legislators to remove Biden electors and replace them with fake Trump electors to overturn the election.

During the hearing, the committee also revealed that one of Johnson's aides tried to share the fake electors with former Vice President Mike Pence on the morning of January 6.

A staffer for Pence refused to accept them.

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But as reporters pressed Johnson about it the Wisconsin Senator responded that he was "on the phone right now" therefore could not answer the question.

Seeing Johnson's phone with a black screen the reporter fired back, "No you're not, I can see your phone, I can see your screen."

Johnson continued to hold the phone to his ear before "hanging up" and then addressing reporters.

The Wisconsin Senator questioned why the press was concerned about the issue and said his office had issued a statement on the "non-story".

Johnson added that the text messages between the staff were purely between the staff and Johnson was "basically unaware" of the staffer's exchange with Pence's staff.

Senator Johnson said he had no idea the certificates of alternate uncertified electors would be delivered to his office and thought that his chief of staff did the right thing by asking Pence's staff if they wanted it and then not giving it to him when he denied it.

In the text messages shown during the hearing on Tuesday an exchange between Johnson's chief of staff, Sean Riley, and Pence's assistant Chris Hodgson reads:

Riley: Johnson needs to hand something to VPOTUS please advise

Hodgson: What is it?

Riley: Alternate slate of electors for MI and WI because archivist didn’t receive them

Hodgson: Do not give that to him

The senator also denied any involvement in the alternate electors plan.

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