Days after a violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan (R) condemned the events that unfolded and called for punishment for those who participated.
“People are responsible for their actions and these terrible actions that were taken. They need to be held accountable and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Jordan said in an interview on Fox News.
But last month, Jordan joined all but two House GOP members in voting against the formation of a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. It passed anyway.
“I’ve got real concerns … that this is all just political, and that this is impeachment three against President Trump,” Jordan said, according to the Associated Press.
Now, the Ohio lawmaker is one of five House Republicans selected by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to serve on the panel. The news drew instant backlash, with many critics calling on House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to veto the nomination.
“Our country and the police officers who put their lives on the line on January 6th deserve justice,” Jeff Sites, a Democratic candidate running against Jordan in the 2022 election, said in a statement on Monday night. He added: “Kevin McCarthy is trying to turn critical work into a circus. The Speaker has the power to stop him, and she must use it.”
A spokesman from Pelosi’s office told The Washington Post that staff had just received the names of the five panel nominees and therefore could not comment on the list.
Jordan’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Jordan, a fierce ally of former president Donald Trump who perpetuated false claims of election fraud, joins four other House GOP members nominated by McCarthy for the committee: Reps. Jim Banks (Ind.), Rodney Davis (Ill.), Kelly Armstrong (N.D.) and Troy E. Nehls (Tex.). Pelosi appointed Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) — one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump — to serve on the committee earlier this month.
In an announcement on Monday, McCarthy told reporters that the group consisted of lawmakers with diverse viewpoints and backgrounds. All five voted against Trump’s impeachment. Davis was among 35 Republicans who voted in May to create an independent commission to investigate the cause of the attack on the Capitol. The Senate ultimately blocked the commission.
On Jan. 6, Jordan took to Twitter to try to stop the situation unfolding at the Capitol.
“Stop the violence. Support Capitol Police,” he said on Twitter.
He then tweeted that “what happened today is wrong and is not what America is about.”
As calls for formal investigations into the events on Jan. 6 continued over the months following, Jordan repeatedly said the efforts were hypocritical. The congressman pointed to some 2020 Black Lives Matter protests that turned violent.
“This summer they said the cause justified the action,” Jordan said in a January Fox News interview, referring to the Democrats. “They even raised money to bail these rioters and looters out of jail. They named streets after the organizations who were pushing for these events. … Let’s be consistent and let’s calm everything down and focus on unifying the country as we move forward.”
The GOP congressman also claims attempts to formally investigate the insurrection are targeted attacks on Trump.
In an interview with Newsmax on Monday, Jordan noted that hewants to serve on the committee because “we know what this is,” he said. He added, “This is to go after President Trump.”
“I’m on the committee and I’m going to focus on the truth; I’m going to focus on the facts,” Jordan added.
Pelosi has to approve McCarthy’s appointments to the 13-member panel, which is chaired by Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.). It is unclear if or when she will take action.
Critics have taken to Twitter to condemn McCarthy’s decision and implore Pelosi to exclude Jordan from the select committee.
“Three out of these five — Banks, Jordan and Nehls — voted to challenge the results of the elections in PA and AZ. They have no place on the committee. Pelosi should move to block all three,” one person tweeted.
“@SpeakerPelosi, as a Vet who took an oath to defend the Constitution, I respectfully request that you make a motion to veto Jim Jordan from the [Jan.] 6th committee. … The American people deserve to know what really happened,” tweeted another.
For those opposed to the commission, the inclusion of Jordan is welcomed. Newsmax host Grant Stinchfield tweeted that the committee is a way for Democrats to shift focus away from President Biden’s “crumbling America,” adding “@Jim_Jordan to the rescue!”
Banks, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the party’s largest caucus in the House, was another contentious choice. The Indiana congressman supported Trump’s false election claims and said the committee is designed to attack Republicans.
“If Democrats were serious about investigating political violence, this committee would be studying not only the January 6 riot at the Capitol, but also the hundreds of violent political riots last summer when many more innocent Americans and law-enforcement officers were attacked,” Banks said in a statement. He added, “Make no mistake, Nancy Pelosi created this committee solely to malign conservatives and to justify the Left’s authoritarian agenda.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/07/20/jim-jordan-capitol-riot-committee/
Among the Fray 