‘Totally Partisan’: Rep. Jim Jordan Hits Back After Jan. 6 Committee Subpoena

Michael GinsbergMay 12, 2022

Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan blasted the Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, saying in an interview that he views it as an illegitimate campaign tool for House Democrats.

The committee issued subpoenas to Jordan, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry, and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs earlier in the day. Committee chairman Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, cited their refusal to voluntarily sit for interviews about alleged interactions with former President Donald Trump, Justice Department officials, and organizers of the “Stop the Steal” rally. Jordan has confirmed that he spoke with Trump “a number of times” on Jan. 6, 2021. (RELATED: Pelosi’s Jan. 6 Team Plots Next Move Ahead Of 2022 Midterms)

“We haven’t even got it yet,” Jordan told WMAL host and Daily Caller editorial director Vince Coglianese in a Thursday interview. “It’s amazing that the press has it, and they’re talking about it, but we have yet to get that. So I want to read it. We sent a letter in early January where we outlined our concerns about this committee, this, I think, totally partisan, political committee. And frankly, none of our concerns have changed. Frankly, we have more of them now, one of which is that they leaked it to the press, had this all set up with the press before we’ve even seen the subpoena.”

Jordan was one of five Republican members McCarthy attempted to appoint to the committee in July 2021. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi rejected his appointment, saying that she was concerned about his “impact… on the integrity of the investigation.” McCarthy then decided to pull all five Republican-appointed members from the committee.

Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger and Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney are the only Republicans on the committee, and they were appointed by Pelosi.

(L-R) US Representatives Elaine Luria, Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney, Jamie Raskin, Adam Kinzinger and Chairman Bennie Thompson, speak to the media following testimony during the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol adjourned their first hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 27, 2021. (Photo by OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

“We’ll take a look at the subpoena, but the concerns we laid out in the January letter are still valid and true and frankly, there’s even more concerns that we have,” Jordan explained.

If Jordan and the other lawmakers do not comply with the subpoenas, they could face contempt of Congress charges. Former Trump aides Mark Meadows and Steve Bannon were both charged after chamber-wide votes. Other individuals who received subpoenas, including lawyer John Eastman, cited their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination to avoid testifying.

Coglianese claimed that the committee was “making communications of any kind with the president of the U.S. into some kind of criminal act.”

“This is the same administration that thinks there needs to be a disinformation board,” Jordan responded. “This is the same administration that’s doing that, and I don’t think we should be surprised.”

“What else are they going to talk about? They’re going to talk about the 41-year high inflation rate. They’re going to talk about the fact that they’re intentionally getting rid of our southern border,” Jordan continued. “They’re going to talk about $4.46 for a gallon of gas.”