In the News

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) joined Todd Starnes on Fox Nation Wednesday to discuss a phenomenon he claimed has been occurring at some of the Democrat-led committee hearings ever since the party took control of the House.

Johnson said that earlier in February, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York was swearing-in witnesses but omitting the "so help me, God" clause.

After other members pointed out the omission, the witnesses were sworn-in again under the full oath.

"[The oath] dates back to the founding of our country," Johnson said. "We know [the omission] wasn't a mistake... It happened in a number of committees [thereafter]."

Johnson told Starnes that there is a "concentrated effort" among some Democrats to "get rid of that all-important phrase."

He claimed the House Committee on Natural Resources, chaired by Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, tried to officially strike the oath.

In January, Fox News obtained a copy of a draft of a new rules package for the committee that reflected that report.

The draft shows that the House Committee on Natural Resources would ask witnesses to recite only, "Do you solemnly swear or affirm, under penalty of law, that the testimony that you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

The rules proposal places the words "so help you God" in red brackets, indicating they are slated to be cut. The words "under penalty of law" are in red text, indicating that Democrats propose to add that phrasing to the oath.

Johnson said the "so help me, God" language reflects an effort by the founders to make officeholders and witnesses "responsible ... to a power higher than our temporal institutions."