All posts tagged "jim jordan"

'Very disappointed': Trump's trade adviser turns against Jim Jordan for being 'all talk'

Congressman Jim Jordan is under fire from an unlikely source.

The Republican congressman has been labeled by some political analysts as an attack dog for Donald Trump, but he doesn't live up to his MAGA talk, according to fellow Trump ally and top Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro.

Navarro said he saw Jordan on the Fox News' The Big Weekend Show, and was "very disappointed."

"Brother [Jordan]. Watched [The Big Weekend Show] & very disappointed you failed to mention role of FBI thug Walter Giardina in Get Trump conspiracy -- and putting me in prison," Navarro wrote. He added, "Read THIS now for the whole story," and linked to a Breitbart article on the subject.

On Sunday, Navarro additionally attacked James Comer.

"BTW [Jordan, Comer and the Judiciary GOP], never did squat to stop me or Steve Bannon from going to prison."

"All talk, no walk on weaponized justice front," the Trump trade adviser added.

'Reprehensible': Internet roasts 'sketchy wrestling coach' Jim Jordan over abuse comment

Congressman Jim Jordan went on TV over the weekend to declare President Donald Trump's innocence in connection with Jeffrey Epstein's child sex abuse conspiracy, but onlookers had a lot to say about the lawmaker's own past.

Jordan, a Republican lawmaker from Ohio and a staunch ally to Trump, used the government's release of edited transcripts of conversations with Epstein's partner as evidence that Trump is innocent.

In part, Jordan said, "This confirms what we all knew: President Trump didn’t do anything wrong. This transcript confirms that. There’s nothing there based on this interview with [Ghislaine] Maxwell."

The brutal takedowns came quickly.

MeidasTouch wrote, "It’s not the first time Jim Jordan has covered for sexual abusers. The Republican Party is no longer functioning as a political party. It’s a child sex trafficking and sexual abuse ring. Reprehensible."

Navy veteran Jared Ryan Sears said, "So the guy who looked the other way while the players he was coaching were sexually abused is commenting on the statements of an incarcerated, convicted sex trafficker about her friend, another sexual predator, who happens to also be the only person who can give her a pardon? What world are we living in?"

Colorado Moderate said, "So we’re just going to trust the proven liar over the victims and their families? I want Chairman Trump to release the full list so we can see all the Dems and GOP members who touched children."

Liberal commentator Brian Tyler Cohen said, "If you can trust anyone when it comes to exposing pedophilia, it’s Jim Jordan."

Ex-prosecutor Ron Filipkowski said, "This man is an expert on looking the other way on sex abuse incidents. I absolutely cannot believe they brought this guy on to talk about this subject."

PatriotTakes, which tracks right-wing extremism online, noted, "Sketchy wrestling coach clears Trump."

'Like a giant manbaby': UK right-winger gets into screaming match with Dem Jamie Raskin

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) got into a screaming match with controversial UK right-winger Nigel Farage during a presentation about free speech, Politico reported.

Raskin was in London as part of a bipartisan congressional delegation led by House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) to discuss the free speech implications of the UK's new Online Safety Act. Republican lawmakers argue the law "violates free speech and unfairly targets U.S. tech companies," according to the report.

In an interview with Politico, Raskin said he had begun talking about the history of free speech in the United States when he brought up "current threats posed by President Donald Trump."

That's when Farage, a Trump supporter, interrupted, exclaiming, "We’re not here to talk about Donald Trump,” Raskin said, adding, “[Farage] said that I am a guest here, and I should act like a guest. And I told him that he was a host, and he should act like a host.”

The leader of the right-wing Reform UK Party then accused Raskin of being “the most pig-headed person he’d ever met,” causing Raskin to retort, “This is why we had a revolution against you guys.”

Politico said the story was confirmed by Democratic reps Lou Correa (CA), Jasmine Crockett (TX) and Eric Swalwell (CA). "All called Farage’s eruption ironic for happening at the tail end of what had been a respectful discussion on free speech," the report stated.

Swalwell remarked, "Farage just looked unhinged and like a giant manbaby."

"Raskin said the outburst was the 'explosive reaction of one British politician who obviously didn’t want any challenge to his view that he’s a free speech victim,' a reference to Farage saying he’d been locked out of banking services and threatened online over his political speech," according to the report.

Read the Politico story here.

‘All kinds of questions’: Gabbard's Obama attack may give Dems Epstein opening

WASHINGTON — Republican House Judiciary chair Jim Jordan expects Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to appear in front of his committee when the House returns in September, even though their appearance will allow Democrats to grill the pair about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his close links to Donald Trump.

“‘They're going to get asked all kinds of questions,” Jordan said.

Jordan, from Ohio, wants to ask Bondi and Patel about documents released on Wednesday by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, as part of attempts to portray President Barack Obama and other top officials acting to undermine Trump after his victory in the 2016 election.

The newly released documents concern investigations of Russian election interference on Trump’s behalf and were drafted by House Republicans in 2017, when Trump was first in office.

Gabbard’s gambit was widely seen as an attempt to shift the spotlight from the swirling Epstein scandal.

Earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson brought forward the August recess, as a way to block bipartisan calls for the release of files on Epstein, who died in federal custody in 2019.

At the Capitol on Wednesday, Raw Story asked Jordan: “Had you been in talks with ODNI about [the document release], or did you just learn of this today?”

Jordan said: “No, no, no … I did not know Tulsi was going to release this and what she did on Friday.”

Then, Gabbard released a report on investigations of how Russia interfered in the 2016 election in support of Trump, and their handling by Obama, former FBI Director James Comey, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and other top officials.

That prompted Trump to call for the arrest of Obama, which would be an act without precedent, and Obama to issue a rebuke in turn.

Jordan said: “We knew, based on the intelligence committee chairman … that he thought something was coming, that product they had worked on years ago, which is released today.

“We're going to see, I do know we're going to have Attorney General Bondi and Director Patel in front of our committee real soon.”

Raw Story asked: “On Epstein or on this?”

“On everything,” Jordan replied. “They're coming in for their normal visit. So they're going to get asked all kinds of questions.”

Raw Story said: “You know, Dems are going to want to just focus on Epstein.”

Jordan said: “Democrats, they ask whatever question they want, and Republicans ask whatever question they want. That's what happens when they come in.

“We’ve been working on getting Pam and Kash … in front of the committee weeks ago.”

‘I don’t think it’s gonna work’

Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Intelligence Subcommittee, branded the Republican moves as “ridiculous.”

“Well, again, it's their MO, which is they know they're hiding stuff on the Epstein files, and they're afraid of it, so they want to change the story,” Bera said.

“I don't think it's gonna work.”

Raw Story asked: “How good have [the GOP] become at normalizing the use of government to spread misinformation?”

Bera said: “That's important, right? Because you want people to pressure the federal government when they give you information … that's the sad part of what this place is becoming.”

Bera also had harsh words for Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020. Before leaving Congress, she drifted right and eventually entered Trump’s cabinet.

“Tulsi and I came into Congress together,” Bera said. “To see what she's become, it’s just ridiculous … at this juncture, there’s no backbone or spine.”

'Beyond parody': Critics left staggered by latest Trump Nobel Peace Prize stunt

Critics were quick to jump on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for re-nominating President Donald Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize after a Ukrainian official withdrew his recommendation, and Pakistani officials considered doing the same following the president's bombing of Iran.

Netanyahu "surprised" Trump with the nomination at a White House dinner on Monday.

The White House posted the moment to social media, recounting Netanyahu's words: "President Trump is 'forging peace as we speak, in one country and one region after the other. So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee. It's nominating you for the peace prize, which is well-deserved.'"

Writer Linda Mamoun called the moment, "Beyond parody," while political commentator @SundaeDivine wrote, "International war criminal nominates convicted felon for Nobel Peace Prize."

Writer Brian Krassenstein wrote his own parody of the situation: "'Hey Donald can you bomb this sovereign nation for us?' Trump: 'Sure'. Netanyahu: 'You deserve a Nobel Peace Prize.'”

@BeckettUnite posted, "We are truly living in a time of imperial authoritarianism: A wanted war criminal, Netanyahu Who has murdered 20,000 children in Gaza presents a letter to the man who gave him the weapons for genocide...Sickening."

"I hope you find something you're as passionate about in life as these guys are about getting Trump a Nobel Peace Prize," posted journalist Aaron Rupar, along with a video clip of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) praising the nomination as "certainly warranted."

Others made some very harsh historical comparisons

The account of @BagdMilkSoWhat wrote, "Benjamin Netanyahu nominating Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize… is like Joseph Stalin nominating Adolf Hitler for the Nobel Peace Prize."

@AntiTrumpCanada posted, "Netanyahu nominating Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize is like Benito Mussolini nominating Adolf Hitler for a Lifetime Achievement in Human Rights. Shameless, surreal, and an insult to the very concept of peace."

'Can't imagine you'd be happy': Jim Jordan confronted over megabill live on CNN

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was forced to defend President Donald Trump's massive spending bill when questioned by CNN's Kasie Hunt on Wednesday afternoon.

The interview came as House Republicans stalled action on the bill over cuts to Medicaid and a potential $3 trillion increase to the deficit.

"I'm old enough to remember if there was a bill that added this much to our debt and deficit, I cannot imagine you would be happy about it in those years," Hunt said before asking why Jordan thought the bill was so unpopular.

'It's dramatically unpopular when you look at the partisan split in the country, we're basically a 50-50 country — this is, like, underwater by either 20 or 30 points, depending on what poll you read," Hunt said.

Jordan skirted the question, answering, "I will tell you what will be unpopular is, if we allow taxes to go up on the families we get the privilege of representing. Hardworking American families don't want to be paying more to the government, the government that sends their money to, you know, all kinds of ridiculous things that DOGE uncovered. I don't think they want their taxes going up. So, I tell you, that will be unpopular."

Jordan also mentioned the Medicaid work requirement that would make sure "able-bodied people getting your money, your viewers' money in our welfare system, are going to have to work in order to receive that benefit."

Hunt asked if Jordan had heard from hospitals in his district, "from people who, at the end of the day, somebody walks into an emergency room without Medicaid — somebody is paying that bill, and it's going to be either the hospital or the other taxpayers."

Jordan protested, "We're not kicking anyone off Medicaid; we're just saying if you're going to get it, you have to go to work."

Critics argue that the work requirements could disproportionately affect caregivers, as well as those with disabilities and chronic conditions.

Watch the clip below via CNN.

Jim Jordan set to investigate 'threats' against ICE operations following Dem protest

MAGA Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced Wednesday that he's planning an official investigation into "threats" to Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, according to Fox News Digital.

The announcement followed the arrest of three Democratic New Jersey lawmakers who staged a protest at a New Jersey detention facility last week in support of undocumented migrants being held by ICE.

DHS claimed that ICE agents were assaulted after Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman, and LaMonica McIver "rushed" into the facility last week when the gates opened to allow a bus carrying detainees to drive through.

But Coleman and McIver said they were the ones attacked by the ICE agents.

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) introduced a resolution on Tuesday to remove the lawmakers from their House committees.

"Jordan is expected to schedule a hearing for next Tuesday, with former ICE and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials expected among the witness panel," Fox News Digital reported.

EXCLUSIVE: Breastfeeding mom of US citizen sues Kristi Noem after being grabbed by ICE

The hearing will likely be led by the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on oversight, led by Republican Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ).

The hearing is "also expected to cover the Trump administration's advancements in cracking down on illegal immigration and threats to national security," Fox News Digital reported.

Also arrested at the demonstration was Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka, who faces up to 30 days in jail and a $500 fine if convicted on trespassing charges.

Baraka, who is running for New Jersey's next governor, denied breaking any laws and claimed he was the victim of political targeting.

The site of the protest was the for-profit detention facility, Delaney Hall, called "ICE's biggest lockup center on the East Coast." New Jersey politicians say the federal facility located in Newark goes against state law.

Read the Fox News Digital story here.

'Fundamental rights': Jim Jordan comes out swinging against searches of citizens' data

Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) argued in a Washington Post opinion piece Wednesday, that it's every Americans' constitutional right to require the government to obtain a legal warrant based on probable cause before conducting a search on private records.

"That’s a key part of the Bill of Rights and an important protection against government abuse," Jordan wrote, adding that "short of imminent threats to national security, there is no good excuse for ignoring the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement."

Jordan's piece comes in advance of an upcoming congressional debate that he called "one of the most important debates we will have this Congress." Jordan maintained, "It is vital that we begin working now to protect Americans’ constitutional rights."

He wrote that up until now the federal government "has searched millions of Americans’ data...without ever obtaining a warrant," adding, "that’s not how it’s supposed to work in America."

ALSO READ: 'Alarming': Small colleges bullied into silence as Trump poses 'existential threat'

The House tried once before to add an amendment to the nation’s warrantless surveillance authority, Jordan wrote, but "came up just short" with the vote, so the warrant requirement was not adopted.

But Congress will have a chance to reconsider when "the foreign surveillance authority, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, expires again next year, on April 19, 2026," Jordan wrote.

"Congress has a responsibility to fix this," Jordan wrote. "We can balance the need to protect Americans’ fundamental constitutional rights with the need to give our intelligence and law-enforcement agencies the tools to fight those who want to do us harm."

Jordan wrote that last year, Congress pass the Reforming Intelligence and Securing America Act that included "some much-needed reforms" on searches.

"We took these important steps, and we have seen some improvement, but they did not go far enough. Until we pass a warrant requirement, the government’s powerful surveillance authorities will always be subject to abuse," Jordan argued.

"Our fidelity must always be to the Constitution," Jordan wrote. "We must continue to protect and enhance it" by passing an agreement on warrants before government searches take place.

Jordan's comments came as President Donald Trump is criticized for multiple actions deemed by many to be in conflict with the Constitution.

He has sought to consolidate executive power, questioned the independence of the judiciary, and made false claims about election integrity in an apparent effort to overturn democratic results. These actions have been viewed by many as assaults on the rule of law and the system of checks and balances.

Read The Washington Post opinion piece here.

'He gets to make the decisions!' Jim Jordan argues Trump can ignore judges

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) argued on CNN Sunday that the Constitution gives President Trump the power to make the decisions he feels are best for the country, checks and balances from Congress and the courts be damned.

Inside Politics host Manu Raju asked Jordan about a Reagan-appointed federal judge who argued "the president is going too far" on policy changes like rescinding birthright citizenship.

"I'm talking about, there's a pattern where judges are saying they're going too far on these issues," Raju pressed after Jordan argued it was "just one judge" who blocked Trump's order to end birthright citizenship.

ALSO READ: 'Making America less safe': Democrats warn of disaster as Trump purges the CIA

"All I know is, again, Article Two, Section One, the very first sentence, 'The executive power shall be vested in a president,'" Jordan said, citing the Constitution. "I think it's important, 'a president of the United States of America,' not in bureaucrats, not in career people — in the president. The guy who put his name on the ballot."

Jordan continued, "This is a fundamental difference we have with the left. The left thinks, 'Oh, it's the career experts who make the decisions.' That's not how our country works. It's the guy who puts his name on the ballot, gets elected by 'We the people.' He gets to make the decisions, or she gets to make the decisions. That's how — we don't want the Faucis of the world and all the people in the bureaucracy making the decisions. We want the guy who puts their name on the ballot and gets elected by the American people."

"But, you guys are elected, too, you know, co-equal branch of the government," Raju said, stopping short of discussing the system of checks and balances that prevents any one branch of government from wielding all the power.

Watch the clip below via CNN or at the link

'You're not done?' CNN's Bash presses Jim Jordan over plan to pursue Jack Smith

Ex special counsel Jack Smith may have dropped his cases against President-elect Donald Trump, but Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) claimed he wasn't done yet with the special counsel.

After Trump won the presidency in November, Jordan's Oversight committee sent a letter to the Justice Department telling Smith to "preserve your records" related to the Trump election interference case and the classified documents case.

CNN's Dana Bash asked Jordan Sunday, "When you and I spoke in November. I asked you if you would call Jack Smith to testify. You said that you hadn't decided, but it was on the table. Now his report has been released. He has stepped down. Will you call him to testify?"

"We're still looking at all that," Jordan answered. "One of the things we are going to check into is, one of his lawyers — I mean, this is just one of the many issues I think we need some answers to — but Jay Bratt, one of the guys who worked for him, went to a lawyer who was who was representing one of the defendants in the case, representing Walt Nauta, said to that lawyer, 'We didn't know you were a Trump guy. We thought you were interested in this judge position.' You can't do those kind of things! So we're going to investigate that. We're going to look at a number of things Jack Smith didn't include in his report, like something that's happened since I was here in November — the 26 confidential human sources who were there on January 6th, 2021, seventeen within restricted space, four in the inside the Capitol — "

Bash interrupted, "So you're not done?"

"— two were tasked to be there by the FBI —"

"You're not done with this?" Bash pressed.

"Yeah, because I think there are lots of answers, lots of questions that the American people want answers to," Jordan said.

ALSO READ: Inside the parade of right-wing world leaders flocking to D.C. for Trump's inauguration

Smith's report on Donald Trump's alleged election interference was released to the public last week. In it, Smith wrote, "Indeed, but for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial.”

Republicans have long contended that the DOJ was "weaponized" against Trump and committed "election interference" by pursuing criminal charges against him.

Watch the clip below via CNN or at the link.