Jim Jordan’s Letter Excusing Himself from Testifying Batted Away by CNN Fact-Checker

Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:34 pm

Jim Jordan is quite used to obstructing investigations. This is not said with any humor or cleverness. Jordan had direct knowledge that an Ohio State physician was physically abusing young men in the Ohio State wrestling program and played an extremely active role in covering up the investigation.

Jordan has now been asked to testify to the Select Committee investigating January 6th, 2021. He has refused and issued a two-page letter explaining why the committee shouldn’t be calling him to testify. It was not a compelling letter.

CNN’s Fact-Checker Tara Subramaniam went down the list like a highly frustrated physics teacher.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

Jordan first said that he had nothing to offer the committee, no insight that would differentiate him from anyone else in Congress. Chairman Bennie Thompson pointed out that given Jordan spoke to Trump at least once on January 6th and possibly “many times” (They would not use the word “possibly” if they were not all but certain he did, once is enough). The conversations not only make Jordan a witness, but they also make him a “material witness,” or even more important.

Jordan said that Pelosi “failed to consult McCarthy” about nominations and thus the committee is invalid. Pelosi did consult McCarthy, who nominated five Republicans, one of which was Jim Jordan, the other Jim Banks. Pelosi rejected both due to being… material witnesses.

The rest of Jordan’s excuses went about as well as the above. He said Rep. Adam Schiff doctored a text message of his, and yet it was revealed that Schiff read every word of the text. It was not doctored. Jordan claimed the committee put phone companies under a “gag order” such that they could not notify customers that their records had been sought. The assertion was disproven by the fact that Verizon sent out notices to its customers (We assume Jordan is a Verizon customer, given it’s his fact being checked) saying he had until January 5th to file a court case to block his phone records.

Pro tip: A congressman who tries to block his January 6th phone records from the January 6th committee might risk looking very bad, very bad, one that might have looked better having not objected at all.

Jordan then threw out a fact that the Committee accused Bernie Kerik of being at a command center in Washington DC but was actually in New York at the time. It was pointed out that Kerik was accused of organizing the command center, not being there.

As said, this isn’t Jordan’s first major investigation in which he could face serious consequences. He has surely learned that delaying and defaming the investigative body helps… some. In the end, the truth generally comes out, whether it comes out through Jim Jordan or around Jim Jordan will play a large role in the consequences he faces when the investigation is inevitably complete.

Jason Miciak

@JasonMiciak believes a day without learning is a day not lived. He is a political writer, features writer, author, and attorney. He is a Canadian-born dual citizen who spent his teen and college years in the Pacific Northwest and has since lived in seven states. He now enjoys life as a single dad of a young girl, writing from the beaches of the Gulf Coast. He loves crafting his flower pots, cooking, and currently studies philosophy of science, religion, and non-math principles behind quantum mechanics and cosmology. Please feel free to contact with any concerns.