Sen. Johnson says Trump deserves multiple Nobel Peace prizes

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Monday that President Donald Trump deserves to win more than one Nobel Peace Prize for his “leadership” and “brilliant negotiating strategy” in foreign diplomacy and reaching peace agreements.

“I know the president’s been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize,” Johnson said during an online conference call with Republican supporters. “He should win at least one of them.”

Johnson noted Trump’s signing of an economic normalization deal with Serbia and Kosovo this month.

“It’s President Trump, his leadership, his brilliant negotiating strategy that brought those sides together to help bring stability to the Balkans,” Johnson said.

Johnson also noted peace deals the U.S. reached between Israel and Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates that is to be signed this week at the White House.

An anti-immigrant Norwegian lawmaker last week nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the Middle East.

Johnson said that former President Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “before he had done anything,” while Trump has a record to justify receiving it. Obama was awarded the prize in 2009 only months into his first term. The Norwegian committee said it honored Obama for his commitment to “seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons.”

Wisconsin Democratic Party spokesman Phil Shulman accused Johnson of being “Trump’s favorite stooge.”

“It clearly doesn’t matter how many factory workers lose their jobs or farms go out of business, Ron Johnson will never do what’s right for Wisconsin if it means going against Trump,” Shulman said.

Johnson also said that the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee and Governmental Affairs Committee, which he chair, is about to release a report targeting Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. Johnson has faced criticism from Democrats who say his investigation of Biden and Ukraine is politically motivated.

An anti-Biden narrative pushed by Trump and his supporters alleges that Biden, as vice president, pressured Ukraine’s government to fire its top prosecutor because the prosecutor had led an investigation into natural gas company Burisma, where Biden’s son Hunter had a paid board seat.

There has been no evidence of wrongdoing by either the former vice president or his son. Also, a Trump claim that Joe Biden pressured the Ukrainian government to shut down a corruption investigation of Burisma has been repeatedly discredited.