Denver Mayor Johnston, dressed in a dark blue jacket and striped red tie, immediately found himself on the defensive as the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s hearing on “sanctuary cities” got underway on Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

Johnston, along with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and New York Mayor Eric Adams, all appeared before the 47-member committee charged with investigating how they and their cities handled the influx of immigrants from the southern border. 

That influx had put the cities of Denver and New York under fiscal strain — Denver by nearly $100 million and New York by billions of dollars.   

Earlier this week, sources close to the mayor characterized Johnston as “optimistic,” saying he looked forward to telling Denver’s “story” about how it “met a sudden immigrant crisis in a way that was faithful to all the best traditions of Denver.”

Other than in his opening statement, Johnston didn’t really get a chance to do much of that.

Instead, Johnston and his mayoral colleagues immediately came under fire, often unable to finish sentences, as Republicans pressed for answers and repeatedly told them to stick to “yes” or “no.” 

When he was permitted to elaborate, Johnston largely avoided the antagonistic exchanges that occurred between the committee’s Republican members and his fellow mayors. 

There were tense moments, such as when U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert challenged Johnston on the city’s response to the illegal immigration crisis.  

The Denver mayor largely stayed away from offering the familiar Democratic talking points, and, for the most part, he didn’t engage in confrontation the way his fellow mayors did. Indeed, the mayors of Boston and Chicago — and the Republicans who questioned them — at times talked over each other. Johnston gave short answers and didn’t insist, as the other mayors did, on elaborations.

“Let’s be honest, these kinds of hearings are not designed to shed a lot of substance of light on any issue,” said Republican strategist Dick Wadhams. “They’re essentially performances by members of Congress, and having said that, I think that Mayor Johnston was held accountable by the Republican members of the committee in terms of his failed policies in Denver that invited tens of thousands of Illegal immigrants in Denver that cost the city lots of money.” 

Committee members, in fact, put the bigger spotlight on Johnston, often citing his statement last year about being willing to go to jail to protest President Donald Trump’s deportation plans. 

“One of you said you were willing to go to jail,” said Louisiana Republican U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, referring to Johnston without identifying him. “We might give you that opportunity.” 

“I thought Mayor Johnston held his own, made his points well, and by and large, represented Denver in a very honorable manner,” said government affairs expert Michael Dino, who briefly attended the hearing.

Wadhams said the mayor’s opening statement was “as good as it could’ve been, but the bottom line is he’s trying to defend a failed policy.” 

“Johnston is a very articulate, smart guy, and so I didn’t expect anything less from him,” he added, calling Johnston’s actions with immigrants “well-intended.”

Of the mayors, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu offered the most in the way of a philosophical rationale for her approach, punctuating it with familiar talking points and repeatedly calling Boston “the safest major city in the country.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson pushed back on GOP questions and multiple digs at his low approval ratings.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican, asked the Chicago mayor if individuals who cause harm or break laws should be held accountable. When he did not answer with a “yes” or “no,” she cut him off saying, “This is why you have a 6% approval rating — because you suck at answering questions.”

At times, New York Mayor Eric Adams appeared disassociated and distracted. Speaking in a soft voice. He repeatedly denied any “quid pro quo” arrangements related to federal prosecutors dropping charges of alleged corruption and bribery.

Several committee members called for Adams to resign, and Democrats effectively accused him of securing a backroom deal with the Trump administration to get prosecutors to abandon the charges.