The Buzz is the Register’s weekly political news column.

Controversial conservative activist Charles C. Johnson says plans for Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s recent eyebrow-raising meeting with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange were hatched over cocktails at the Republican congressman’s Costa Mesa home.

“A Moscow mule,” Johnson specified in a phone conversation this past week, the vodka-and-ginger-beer drink sounding appropriate for a pair of guys who’ve called for friendlier U.S. relations with Russia.

The Aug. 16 meeting was the first time Assange has met with a Congress member and caused a stir on Capitol Hill, in part because CIA Director Mike Pompeo has denounced Wikileaks as a “hostile intelligence service” that threatens national security and Attorney General Jeff Sessions has called arresting Assange a “priority.”

Rohrabacher emerged from the meeting touting Assange’s claim that Russia had nothing to do with Wikileaks’ disclosure last year of Democratic National Committee emails. Those documents fueled criticism that the party had improperly favored Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders and, according to some analysts, damaged Clinton’s campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies have expressed “high confidence” that Russia hacked the emails and relayed them to Wikileaks.

Johnson’s presence at the meeting helped fuel the criticism because he’s been associated with the alt right. Johnson, who runs GotNews.com, was banned from Twitter for life after a 2015 tweet soliciting donations to “take out” African American civil-rights activist DeRay McKesson.

A new website launched by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to attack Rohrabacher, dubbed “The Rohrabacher Conspiracy,” calls Johnson a “white supremacist” and “Holocaust denier,” citing research by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Johnson dismissed the DCCC site as “disgusting and underhanded.” He said he has “no reason to discount” consensus that Nazis killed 6 million Jews and “I am not a white-power fanatic.” He said online quotes attributed him that indicate otherwise have been doctored or taken out of context.

However, he did acknowledge his belief that there are intellectual differences between the races.

“There are some groups that are smarter than others, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t respect them,” Johnson told me in comments I read back to ensure their accuracy. “While it may be true that Jews may be smarter than whites and whites may be smarter than blacks, that doesn’t mean we should dehumanize anybody because of that.

“You should never use this to discriminate in hiring or in general.”

Some have claimed the “OK” hand signal Johnson is flashing in a photo with Rohrabacher on the steps of the Ecuadoran Embassy in London, where they met with Assange, was a white-power sign. Johnson, who is holding a sign in the photo that says, “Free Press Free Assange,” says he was simply using the OK gesture commonly used by President Donald Trump.

“I was trying to send a message to Trump,” said Johnson, who takes credit for arranging the London meeting and calls Rohrabacher a longtime friend.

Johnson said he believes that Assange hopes to trade information regarding the source of the DNC emails in exchange for a pardon.

Rohrabacher spokesman Ken Grubbs dismissed attacks on Johnson.

“The DCCC, no doubt embarrassed by the DNC’s antics last year, is ridiculously if predictably partisan, falling into the now familiar habit of promiscuously calling anyone who disagrees with its agenda a racist,” Grubbs said in an email.

Walters’ town hall

Given the rowdiness of some Republican Congress members’ in-person town halls since Trump was elected, it’s not surprising that Rep. Mimi Walters, R-Laguna Beach, opted for a telephone town hall instead. On one hand, the Wednesday evening event was orderly and polite. On the other hand, constituents couldn’t press for clearer answers when responses were vague and couldn’t ask follow-up questions.

For instance, Walters was asked about Trump’s threat to shut down the government if his border wall isn’t funded. She said a shutdown “is not an option” but didn’t address the wall. When a later participant asked what she thought of the wall, she said a continuous wall is unnecessary and that technology should be used to enhance security.

It would have been interesting — and perhaps enllightening — to hear her thoughts on Trump’s threat.

Similarly, after being asked why she hadn’t commented on Trump saying “both sides” were to blame for the violence in Charlottesville, Walters did not address what the president said. She did, however, condemn “white supremacists, the KKK and neo-Nazis.”

The Wednesday evening event began with nearly 1,000 participants, according to the moderator. While Walters’ left-leaning foes were clearly represented among the questioners, the nature of the queries indicated they were outnumbered by supporters and by moderates whose leanings were uncertain. The most unexpected participant was former Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who urged Walters to help ensure speedy construction of a veterans cemetery in Irvine.

Walters, who’s already drawn six Democrat challengers for next year’s election, listed her top priorities as tax reform, reducing regulations and improving transportation infrastructure.

As for more partisan issues, she responded to a question about Planned Parenthood funding by saying that taxpayer money shouldn’t be used to fund abortions and that the money going to Planned Parenthood should be directed to community health clinics. (Planned Parenthood says its government funding doesn’t pay for the abortions it performs.)

She also acknowledged human activity contributes to climate change, said that some environmental protections are needed and that Trump’s proposed EPA cuts were “simply a wish list.”

On the subject of so-called sanctuary cities, which limit local law enforcement’s cooperation with immigration officials, Walters was asked what she thought of calls to withhold federal funds. She did not express any opposition to the proposal.

“If we don’t have cooperation, it puts all of us at risk,” she said.