The problem is not just that Republican officials keep peddling fake quotes from the Founding Fathers. The problem is also why they keep doing this.

After being re-elected, Louisiana Representative Mike Johnson falsely attributed a prayer he recited to Thomas Jefferson, even incorrectly claiming that the lower house of Congress recited the prayer daily during Jefferson's presidency.

House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., watches after a joint session of Congress confirmed the Electoral College votes, affirming President-elect Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election, Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

So it's entirely plausible that the fake "Jefferson prayer" was searched for on Google before copy-pasted into the teleprompter. When one searches for the prayer, however, at the top of the results is the debunking offered by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation,

On Jan. 3, 2025, Mike Johnson (R-LA) was reelected as speaker of the House. After his reelection, Johnson recited a prayer that he suggested was written by Thomas Jefferson and recited every day ...

House Speaker Mike Johnson sparked an unusual religion controversy last week when he recited a prayer in front of Congress after being reelected as speaker of the House. The problem, at least according to some scholars, wasn’t that he prayed in the U.S. Capitol. It was that he claimed to be quoting former President Thomas Jefferson.

Johnson’s use of what Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation call a “spurious quotation” was reported by Brian Kaylor.

Initially, flags were set to be half-staff at the Capitol on Inauguration Day due to the timing of former President Jimmy Carter's death.

President-elect Donald J. Trump had complained that flags were scheduled to fly at half-staff — a symbol of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter — on the day of his inauguration.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has been removed from the House Rules Committee after being the lone vote against Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) reelection. Why it matters: Massie's departure from the influential panel could make it easier for Johnson to get legislation to the House floor.

The Republican-run U.S. House of Representatives on Friday re-elected Mike Johnson as its speaker on the first ballot after two GOP lawmakers changed their votes, an outcome that eases some ...

El presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Mike Johnson, habla con reporteros tras la aprobación del proyecto de ley de financiación para evitar el cierre del gobierno en el Capitolio ...