Jan. 6 panel fires back at Jordan over refusal to cooperate
The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol accused Rep. Jim Jordan of backtracking on his commitment to cooperate after the Ohio Republican said Sunday he would refuse to voluntarily appear before the panel.
"Mr. Jordan has previously said that he would cooperate with the committee's investigation, but it now appears that the Trump team has persuaded him to try to hide the facts and circumstances of January 6th. The Select Committee will respond to this letter in more detail in the coming days and will consider appropriate next steps," a committee spokesperson said Monday.
Jordan previously said he has "nothing to hide" with regard to his actions surrounding Jan. 6.
In a four-page letter sent to the committee Sunday night, Jordan said he has "no relevant information" that would assist the committee's investigation.
"At the time of the security breach of the Capitol, I was present in the House Chamber performing my official duties pursuant to the U.S. Constitution and federal law. The other topics referenced in your letter likewise related to the performance of official duties. Your attempt to pry into the deliberative process of informing a member about legislative matters before the House is an outrageous abuse of the select committee's authority," Jordan wrote in the letter shared on Twitter.
"This unprecedented action serves no legitimate legislative purpose and would set a dangerous precedent for future Congresses," he added.
The panel requested Jordan's assistance in a Dec. 22 letter largely geared toward learning more about the lawmaker's communications with former President Trump. Jordan has acknowledged he spoke with Trump that day.
The committee's Monday statement goes further, alleging that Jordan had knowledge of Trump's plans for contesting the election and that the former president's legal team may be pressuring the Ohio lawmaker not to cooperate.
"Mr. Jordan's letter fails to address the principal bases for the Select Committee's request for a meeting, including that he worked directly with President Trump and the Trump legal team to attempt to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election. Mr. Jordan has admitted that he spoke directly to President Trump on January 6th and is thus a material witness. Mr. Jordan's letter to the committee fails to address these facts," the committee continued in its statement.
Beyond his communications with the president, other texts from Jordan have also surfaced during the committee investigation. Texts from Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows show Jordan forwarded him a text message calling for former Vice President Mike Pence to buck his ceremonial duty to certify election results.
And another text from Meadows's trove shows that Fox News host Sean Hannity also communicated with Jordan, apparently raising new possible options ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration.
Jordan is one of three people from whom the committee has sought voluntary cooperation. Similar letters have been sent to Hannity and Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.).
