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GOP Rep. Jim Jordan Refuses To Cooperate With Democrats’ Jan. 6 Committee, Calls Request ‘Unprecedented And Inappropriate’

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Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, told the House Select Committee on Sunday that he will not cooperate with investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot. 

The fiery congressman’s decision not to cooperate with the committee comes as Committee Chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), during an appearance on NBC’s ‘Meet The Press’ said the committee was pursuing whether or not it had the legal authority to subpoena sitting members of Congress.

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The Committee Prodding Congressmen For Information

Axios reported that Jordan wasn’t the only current member of Congress unwilling to hand over documents to be interviewed by committee members. In December Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) refused to cooperate with the committee’s request for information calling the committee “illegitimate.”

The committee claimed that Jordan was initially going to comply, before claiming, “but it now appears that the Trump team has persuaded him to try to hide the facts and circumstances of January 6th.”

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Jordan calls out the Committee

Jim Jordan was quick to tell Thompson, the chair of the committee, what he thought about the request and the existence of the committee.

In a letter to Thompson, Jordan called the request from the committee “unprecedented and inappropriate,” and stated that he was acting in his capacity as a sitting member of Congress carrying out “official duties” when he communicated with the White House that day.

Jordan also stated that, “As you well know, I have no relevant information that would assist the Select Committee in advancing any legitimate legislative purpose.” 

But Jordan wasn’t done there. He continued saying, “This request is far outside the bounds of any legitimate inquiry, violates core Constitutional principles, and would serve to further erode legislative norms.” He added, “Your attempt to pry into the deliberative process informing a Member of about legislative matters before the House is an outrageous abuse.”

And while the committee boasts of being “bipartisan,” with Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) as the two Republicans on the committee, Jordan stated what many other Republicans believe as well, saying he has, “no confidence that the Select Committee will fairly or accurately represent any information.” 

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Resistance to the Jan. 6 Commission

Steve Bannon (former Trump adviser) was indicted for defying subpoenas from the committee in November. He repeatedly said that he would not comply. 

Mark Meadows, the former Trump White House Chief Staff, was recommended last month for criminal contempt. Meadows also defied a subpoena citing executive privilege. Meadows originally said that he wouldn’t cooperate with this committee.

All indications are that the Jan.6 Committee is ready to go. Chairman Thompson said of the legalities of subpoenas for sitting congressmen, “If they can, there’ll be no reluctance on our part.”