Political expert calls Senator Ron Johnson's 'Meet the Press' interview Washington at its worst

MILWAUKEE -- University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Professor Emeritus Mordecai Lee described a testy interview between Senator Ron Johnson and Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press" Sunday, Oct. 6 as Washington at its worst.

The back and forth lasted more than nine minutes, with Senator Johnson and Todd engaged in a heated argument.

"Senator, can we--," Todd asked.

"No, no, no -- what does this have to do with Ukraine?" said Senator Johnson. "What does this have to do with Ukraine?"

When pressed on a quote featured in the Wall Street Journal that Senator Johnson winced at the suggestion that military aid might be linked to Ukraine's willingness to investigate President Donald Trump's political rival Joe Biden, Senator Johnson replied by suggesting President Trump had been set up. Senator Johnson also said the media had presented a false narrative.

"I just want the truth, Chuck Todd," said Senator Johnson.

"So do I," said Todd.

"No you don't," said Senator Johnson. "You set this thing up. Totally biased."

"This interview is the ultimate example of how bad things have gotten in Washington," said Lee.

Lee said Senator Johnson engaged in what he called, "What about ism," an approach used by members of both parties -- pointing the finger at others' bad acts, rather than answering to the current claim.

"He did everything he could to not talk about it," said Lee. "We've got a political world where double standards are OK."

It's a tactic that could backfire with more Americans turning down the volume because they're tired of the political noise.

"After a while, we all get sort of saturated," said Lee.

FOX6 News reached out to Senator Johnson Monday to talk about the "Meet the Press" interview. Officials with his office said he wasn't in the area, and sent a statement that included a transcript of the interview Sunday with Chuck Todd: