The House Select Committee of investigation of the Jan. 6 attack placed Rep. Jim Jordan (R) of Ohio on notice Wednesday that it would like a few hours of his time. Maybe even 11?
Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) wrote to Jordan that the committee would like his “voluntary cooperation in advancing our investigation.” Why is already a matter of public record:
We understand that you had at least one and possibly multiple communications with President Trump on January 6th. We would like to discuss each such communication with you in detail. And we also wish to inquire about any communications you had on January 5th or 6th with those in the Willard War Room, the Trump legal team, White House personnel or others involved in organizing or planning the actions and strategies for January 6th.
What is needed here is a full accounting and timeline of who did what and when leading up to and the day of the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. Jordan knows already that involves him.
Asking for Jordan’s cooperation is easy. Getting his cooperation is something else. As Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) noted last night on MSNBC, Jordan is already “moonwalking away” from testifying before the panel. It is not the first time, Swalwell said pointedly, that Jordan has been accused “of witnessing a crime and then not wanting to report it or help investigators.” (See Ohio State wrestlers’ allegations.)
When asked if he spoke with the president on Jan. 6 “before, during or after the Capitol was attacked,” Jordan famously stumbled through answering.
Politico reported in August that Jordan had at least two calls with Trump that day. One of those occurred during the attack.
Jordan later denied speaking to Trump during the attack while in a House Rules Committee meeting. When pressed, Jordan tried to change the subject. He was not under oath (IIRC).
In his calls that day, was Jordan coordinating with Trump on ways to stop the electoral vote certification? Was he pleading with Trump, as others in Congress did, for him to call off his supporters? However Jordan answers, he will face the wrath of Trump and the MAGA faithful. That, he will never do voluntarily.
The chances that Jordan will cooperate are slim. (I first mistyped “slime.”) Will he defy a subpoena? He will try. His allegiance to Trump is all-consuming. If he does appear as a witness, under oath, we can expect his usual theatrics, shouting and filibustering. He’ll turn his testimony into a televised circus.
I had to have some fun with that last night:
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