Jim Jordan shredded as his 'weaponization' probe chases a 'mirage'

Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan is facing a wave of criticism over his investigation into the "weaponization" of U.S. agencies against conservatives, with people saying it hasn't uncovered the bombshells Jordan alleges.

According to a report from Axios, "Jordan is under increasing pressure from disappointed Republicans who want results — and from Democrats who say his investigation is being exposed as a sham."

In his column for MSNBC, Steve Benen contends that such talk has become "unavoidable" for Jordan.

"For example, a lot of planning went into the opening hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, which Jordan leads," Benen writes, calling the opening hearing an "embarrassing display."

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"Republicans whined about old grievances without presenting new information and invited witnesses who weren’t in a position to shed light on the issue at hand."

As Benen points out, the right is growing increasingly wary of Jordan's effort. He cites a recent segment on Steve Bannon's show where a conservative guest described the probe as “a failure" and Jordan as "not a serious person.”

Jordan has assured his detractors that the probe has more revelations to come, but according to Benen, Jordan has overlooked a key problem.

"When GOP lawmakers first created this select subcommittee, a New York Times report said the Republicans’ goal was to 'scrutinize what they said was a concerted effort by the government to silence and punish conservatives at all levels.' That, in a nutshell, is the whole point: Jordan and other far-right lawmakers seem to genuinely believe that the levers of power have been used to target conservatives, and this panel intends to expose the nefarious plots and the federal officials behind them," writes Benen. "But there are no plots. There’s been no 'concerted effort by the government to silence and punish conservatives at all levels.' The 'weaponization' committee is chasing a mirage."

Read the full article over at MSNBC.