James Carville: 'Christian nationalists' like Speaker Mike Johnson are a 'bigger threat than al-Qaeda'

Democratic strategist James Carville sounded the alarm on new Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, saying he and other "Christian nationalists" are a bigger threat to the country than al-Qaeda.

Appearing as a panelist on Bill Maher's "Overtime" segment, Carville was asked about Johnson, who is from his home state of Louisiana. 

"Mike Johnson and what he believes is one of the greatest threats we have today to the United States," Carville told Maher on Friday. "I promise you, I know these people."

"You're talking about Christian nationalists," Maher said. 

"Absolutely," Carville responded. "This is a bigger threat than al-Qaeda to this country." 

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"And let me tell you something: The Speaker of the House, they got probably at least two Supreme Court justices, maybe more,  don't kid yourself," he continued. "People in the press have no idea who this guy is… This is a fundamental threat to the United States. It is a fundamental thing. [They] don't believe in the Constitution. They'll tell you that. Mike Johnson himself says what is democracy but two wolves and a lamb having lunch? That's what they really, really, really believe."

"And to say, 'Oh, come on, man. It's just some crazy s---.' No, no. They believe that. And they're coming and they've been doing it forever. They're funded. They're funded. They're relentless and, you know, they probably won't win for a while but they might. And if they do, the whole country blows a gasket," he added. 

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Maher himself has been quite outspoken about his animosity towards Johnson. During his "Real Time" closing monologue on Friday, he blasted his "religious fanaticism" and accused him of "rooting for the end of the world so we can get on with the Rapture." 

"Mike thinks God personally chooses, raises up our leaders, which is a very dangerous thought because then when you lose an election you think it's just another of God's tricks to test your faith," Maher told his audience. "Mike says we began as a Christian nation. We didn't. Did you miss that day in homeschool, Mike? If you don't know that the Pilgrims came here to get away from the Church of England, then you don't know, literally, the first thing about our country."

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Maher continued, "Mike says being a Christian nation is our tradition and it's who we are as a people. It's not. We're the people who have a First Amendment which says ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.’ And we have an Article Six which says ‘no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office.’ So I take these people at their word when they say that they think we should be Christian nationalists. But then they have to take John Adams at his word when he wrote, ‘The government of the United States of America is not in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.’"

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Last month, Maher echoed Carville's sentiment and claimed Johnson "exactly sounds like bin Laden" quoting the Speaker at a prayer group when he said "depraved America deserves God's wrath."

In October, he compared Johnson to the Maine mass shooter responsible for murdering 18 people and injuring 13 others. 

"When you're this much of a religious fanatic, there is no room for real democracy. That's not what you believe in. He said it today. 'Look in the Bible. That's my world view,'" Maher said during the panel discussion. "And I was reading about this horrible shooting in Maine. And, you know, we don't know much about the guy yet, but apparently he heard voices and I thought ‘Is he that different than Mike Johnson?’"

"I mean, degree? Yes. But it's thinner than you'd think?" Maher added.