Video resurfaces of Speaker Mike Johnson attending Purity Ball with teen daughter: "Steer clear of the wolves"
Washington DC - A controversial video has resurfaced of House Speaker Mike Johnson taking his 13-year-old daughter to a Purity Ball where she later signed an abstinence pledge.
In a segment from 2015 filmed by German news outlet n-tv, Johnson and his daughter are documented as they prepared for and attended the event.
Purity Balls are events popular with many conservative Christian families in the US, where a father and daughter will dress up for a night of dancing and a fancy dinner.
The night ended with the young girl signing a pledge to abstain from dating and sex until marriage.
In the clip, which appears to have been recently scrubbed from the internet, Johnson's young daughter pledges "to make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future husband, and my future children... to a lifetime of purity, including sexual purity."
The politician's wife Kelly Johnson explains during an interview in the segment that their family doesn't talk to their daughter about contraception as they believe "sex before marriage is simply out of the question."
The House speaker also shared this sentiment, arguing that "there are predators out there, and there are prey," adding that he hopes his daughter will "try and steer clear of the wolves like that."
Mike Johnson revealed to be evangelical Christian nationalist
Johnson, who had been relatively unknown outside of Capitol Hill, was successfully appointed as speaker of the House after Kevin McCarthy was ousted. Since his appointment, however, details about Johnson's staunch evangelical Christian views and personal life have been coming to light.
In one resurfaced interview from 2022, Johnson admitted that he and his son monitored each other's pornography usage. In another interview from that same year, the speaker described abortion as "an American Holocaust" and said the US Supreme Court should look into overturning gay and contraceptive rights.
While critics on the left argue that Johnson aims to push Christian nationalism with his powerful role, Republicans have dubbed him a champion of religious values they would love to see implemented through legislation.
Cover photo: Andrew CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP