Speaker Mike Johnson Is Living in a D.C. House That Is the Center of a Pastor's Secretive Influence Campaign
Source: ProPublica
Speaker Mike Johnson Is Living in a D.C. House That Is the Center of a Pastor's Secretive Influence Campaign
by Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski
Feb. 28, 2025, 9:45 a.m. EST
The Capitol Hill townhouse is owned by a major Republican donor. It's the headquarters of a little-known political influence project that has reached a number of powerful Republican politicians.
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In 2021, Steve Berger, an evangelical pastor who has attacked the separation of church and state as "a delusional lie" and called multinational institutions "demonic," set off on an ambitious project. His stated goal: minister to members of Congress so that what "they learn is then translated into policy." His base of operations would be a six-bedroom, $3.7 million townhouse blocks from the U.S. Capitol.
Recently, the pastor scored a remarkable coup for a political influence project that has until now managed to avoid public scrutiny. He got a new roommate. ... House Speaker Mike Johnson has been staying at the home since around the beginning of this year, according to interviews and videos obtained by ProPublica. ... The house is owned by a major Republican donor and Tennessee car magnate who has joined Berger in advocating for and against multiple bills before Congress.
Pastor Steve Berger, left, with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Johnson's wife, Kelly, in what appears to be the Capitol Hill home the two men have been sharing * via Facebook
Over the past four years, Berger and his wife, Sarah Berger, have dedicated themselves to what they call their D.C. "ministry center." In addition to Johnson, who is an evangelical conservative, the pastor has built close relationships with several other influential conservative politicians. Dan Bishop, now nominated for a powerful post in the Trump White House, seems to have also lived in the home last year while he was still a congressman, according to three people.
A spokesperson for Johnson said that the speaker "pays fair market value in monthly rent for the portion of the Washington, D.C. townhome that he occupies." He did not answer a question about how much Johnson is paying. House ethics rules allow members of Congress to live anywhere, as long as they are paying fair-market rent. ... The spokesperson added that Johnson "has never once spoken to Mr. Berger about any piece of legislation or any matter of public policy." Berger and Bishop did not respond to requests for comment.
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Jeff Frankl contributed research.
Do you have any information we should know about Steve Berger or Speaker Mike Johnson? Josh Kaplan can be reached by email at joshua.kaplan@propublica.org and by Signal or WhatsApp at 734-834-9383. Justin Elliott can be reached by email at justin@propublica.org and by Signal or WhatsApp at 774-826-6240.
Portrait of Joshua Kaplan
Joshua Kaplan
I’m a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at ProPublica, where I write about the government, money and power.
Portrait of Justin Elliott
Justin Elliott
I am a ProPublica reporter covering business and politics.
Portrait of Alex Mierjeski
Alex Mierjeski
I’m a research reporter at ProPublica based in New York.
Read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/mike-johnson-evangelical-pastor-steve-berger-roommates
Reposted by Mike Masnick
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Josh Kaplan @josh-kaplan.bsky.social
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NEW: A $3.7 million Capitol Hill townhouse is the D.C. headquarters of a secretive political influence project.
It's owned by a major GOP donor. But one of the most powerful men in the country recently moved in: House Speaker Mike Johnson. www.propublica.org/article/mike...
Speaker Mike Johnson Is Living in a D.C. House That Is the Center of a Pastor's Secretive Influence Campaign
The Capitol Hill townhouse is owned by a major Republican donor. It's the headquarters of a little-known political influence project that has reached a number of powerful Republican politicians.
www.propublica.org
https://bsky.app/profile/josh-kaplan.bsky.social/post/3ljanomxdbc22
= new reply since forum marked as read
