Rep. Jim Jordan told Fox anchor Bret Baier that he had spoken to Donald Trump on January 6th then deflected when asked what they discussed. Perhaps inadvertently, Jordan had just validated Nancy Pelosi’s decision to keep him off the committee investigating the insurrection.
Pelosi had lots of good reasons for rejecting Jordan before that admission. He voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election and he announced he wanted to use the investigation to blame and demonize Democrats. Republican committee member Liz Cheney backed Jordan’s ouster and noted that Jordan, “may well be a material witness to events that led to" the insurrection.
Jordan has now admitted on national television that he almost certainly is exactly that. Appearing on Fox News' Special Report the evening after the first committee hearing ended, he laughably claimed that the reason he got booted from the committee was because he was going to investigate the Capitol security, which he has repeatedly and falsely claimed is and was Pelosi’s responsibility.
Anchor Bret Baier did not challenge that falsehood. Instead, he teed up an opportunity for Jordan to give his spiel: “How would you have asked that today?” Spoiler alert: Jordan wants to blame the (non-existing) Democratic goal of defunding the police as the reason there wasn’t enough security at the Capitol.
It’s possible that Jordan dropped his tidbit because he wants to be called to testify, and sees it as an opportunity to do his disruption routine, but he did not seem like someone eager to disclose he had spoken to Trump on the day of the insurrection.
After allowing Jordan to rant for a while about the select committee investigation, Baier changed the subject to ask Jordan if he had spoken with Trump on January 6th.
BAIER: So this committee is obviously going to go down a number of different roads about who knew what when, who was talking to coordinators of the protests. Did you talk to the former president that day?
JORDAN: I’ve talked to the former president umpteen times, thousands. I mean, not thousands–
BAIER: I mean on January 6th.
JORDAN: Countless times. I talked to the president. I never talk about what we talk about, ‘cause I just don’t think that’s appropriate, just like I don’t talk about what happens in Republican conferences. So, I’ve talked to the president numerous times. I continue to talk to the president.
BAIER: No, no. I mean on January 6th, Congressman.
JORDAN: Yes. I mean I’ve talked to the president – I’ve talked to the president so many – I can’t remember all the days I have talked to him, but I’ve certainly talked to the president.
Baier tried to get more details, but Jordan very deliberately skated away:
BAIER: And on that day, was - can you share any of the insight of what he was thinking about that day?
JORDAN: Bret, the people we need to come testify are the people who can testify to the fundamental questions. Why didn’t the United States Capitol – the people’s house – have an appropriate security posture on that day and what have we done? Those are the people we need to hear from. That’s the information and testimony we need to get. That’s what we should focus on.
Then Jordan veered back to posing as someone dedicated to uncovering the real problem… why the Democrats didn’t have better security and that the whole investigation is a political witch hunt designed to deflect from the rampant crime and immigration problems.
Had Trump said on January 6, or any other time for that matter, that he was ticked off about the lack of security and had been trying to get more security to the Capitol, or anything else that would have made him look good, I think it's a safe bet Jordan would have told us all about it.
You can see why we should all be glad Jordan is not on the committee below, from the July 27, 2021 Special Report.
(H/T reader Eric Jefferson and Mediaite.)