Sen. Ron Johnson: Convention Protest Zone Must Be Pushed Back

Sen. Ron Johnson Sunday called on the Secret Service to push protesters further away from the Republican National Convention, planned for July 15-18 in Milwaukee, saying that a nearby park is a "gathering site for all kinds of potential mayhem."

“They put the protest zone a block away from the actual convention site," the Wisconsin Republican told NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday." "The initial plan had the entrances on the north and south sides adjacent to that park. There’s no control of that park.

"There are no fences around it so it’s a gathering site for all kinds of potential mayhem, so, this is a very obvious concern. It ought to be corrected."

Johnson said he expressed his concerns with the director of the Secret Service last week, and he would be "baffled" if it won't provide extra security for the event and push back the protest zone.

"The Secret Service — they use their criteria, they set this plan — and now the director of Secret Services saying, well, they have the authority to set the plan, they don’t have the authority to change it," Johnson said.

He added that everyone saw the riots in 2020, and said there is now an inflamed situation caused by the divisions pushed by President Joe Biden and others. "This is a serious security concern that could be addressed," he said. "I hope they address it,” Johnson said.

Johnson on Sunday also addressed reports that there may be a return to the bipartisan border bill that failed this year after reports indicated Biden may be considering executive action to close border crossings once they reach a certain level.

"He wants an open border," said Johnson, adding that he still opposes the bill. "He had the authority to open [the border] up. He has the authority to close it … I can't really explain it other than literally, he wants more people flooding in. They'll eventually vote for Democrats."

Johnson also Sunday voiced high hopes for former President Donald Trump's chances in Wisconsin, commenting that he would not trust early polls.

"Is Wisconsin going to be a very close state?" he said. "I don't think there's any doubt about it."

The GOP will also need to pay attention to all the smaller towns in Wisconsin to draw out the vote, but Johnson said he thinks Republican voters are "up to the task" and "certainly energized" coming out of last week's party convention.