Opinion: Maximum-security prisoner Alexi Navalny is the patriot Jim Jordan could never be

Phil Heimlich is a former assistant prosecutor in Cincinnati who has served as a Republican on Cincinnati City Council and the Hamilton County Commission. During the 2020 campaign, he helped lead Operation Grant, the Ohio affiliate of Republican Voters Against Trump. In 2022, he ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Congress in Ohio’s 8th District.

This is the story of two leaders. One is a highly decorated member of the United States Congress; the other resides in a maximum-security prison in Melekhovo, Russia.

The first, Congressman Jim Jordan, represents Ohio’s 4th District. He has received the Defender of Christian Values Award by The Christian Coalition of Ohio; the True Blue Award by the Family Research Council; the Ohio Right to Life Defender of Life Award; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Donald Trump.

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The second, Alexei Navalny, is an enemy of the state. In 2013 he was found guilty of embezzlement, for which he was sentenced to five years in prison. In 2014 he was convicted of fraud, and in 2022 he was found guilty of new fraud charges and sentenced to nine years in a penal colony, where he now spends most of his time in solitary confinement.

In 2010 Navalny launched a website to expose cases where state contracts were awarded corruptly, and coined the term “party of crooks and thieves” to describe Vladimir Putin’s political party.

He attempted to run against Putin for President in 2018, but election officials refused to allow him on the ballot. In 2020, when Navalny was campaigning in local elections, he was poisoned by Russian security officials while on a flight to Moscow.

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He could have safely remained in Germany, where he was recovering, but chose to return to Russia to continue his fight for democracy.

When he arrived, he was placed under arrest and not allowed to speak in court, but he used Twitter to convey his message to “bring the truth to the people of Russia.”

From his prison cell, he urged his followers to demonstrate against Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. He is being held in inhumane conditions, has lost significant weight and is suffering from a mysterious stomach ailment, which leads many observers to believe that Russian authorities are slowly poisoning him.

On October 20, 2020, two weeks before the presidential election, Rep. Jordan stated, without evidence, “Democrats are trying to steal the election, before the election.”

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Two days after the election, Jordan was one of the prominent speakers at a “Stop the Steal” rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

On November 18, 2020 Jordan demanded that Congress investigate the election because of “troubling reports of irregularities and improprieties,” but did not present any credible proof to support the accusation. On December 7, when asked if Trump should concede the election, he said “No way,” and described “all kinds of crazy things happening in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin … (and) Nevada,” without offering any facts to back it up.

He said, “I don’t know how you can ever convince me that President Trump didn’t actually win this thing based on all the things you see,” but he never said what those “things” were.

On December 21, Jordan strategized at the White House with Trump and Republican House members to overturn the election results. Jordan subsequently sent a text message to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, outlining a theory that Vice President Pence could stop the certification of the election.

On January 2, 2021, he joined a call with Meadows, Trump and 50 House members and senators to address the goal of overturning certain states’ Electoral College results on January 6. On January 3, Jordan stated on Fox News that Republican members of Congress were the “ultimate arbiter here, the ultimate check and balance” on the “unconstitutional” certification of the election results – again, without presenting any credible evidence of fraud.

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On January 6, as Trump supporters gathered near the White House for the “Stop the Steal” rally, Jordan rose in the House and demanded that certain presidential electors certified by their states be disqualified.

He based his objection on various conspiracy theories.

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During the debate on his objection, the mob invaded the Capitol, chanted “Hang Mike Pence,” and forced their way into the House chamber. Later, after order was restored, with four dead and 114 police officers injured, Jordan still voted – with no proof to support it – to overturn the election results.

Jordan has admitted he had several conversations with Trump on January 6, but will not disclose what they discussed. When asked to discuss the calls in a hearing by the Select Committee investigating the insurrection, he refused to testify.

Jordan and Navalny both worked to overturn their respective governments: One attempted to restore democracy; the other tried to subvert it. So, who’s the real patriot?

Phil Heimlich is a former assistant prosecutor in Cincinnati who has served as a Republican on Cincinnati City Council and the Hamilton County Commission. During the 2020 campaign, he helped lead Operation Grant, the Ohio affiliate of Republican Voters Against Trump. In 2022, he ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Congress in Ohio’s 8th District. Follow him on Twitter: @philheimlich

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who is the patriot, Jim Jordan or Alexi Navalny?| Opinion