Rep. Jim Jordan targets Democrats' 'weaponization of government' in House oversight plans

DAYTONA BEACH − Volusia County Republicans got a chance to go deeper into the psyche of Jim Jordan, the combative congressman who's taken on a new role as House Judiciary Committee chair.

Speaking for a half-hour to about 1,100 attendees of the GOP's Lincoln Dinner at the Ocean Center, Jordan made a case for America as the world's greatest country, diving into history and suggesting the values he said elevates the United States are at risk of being lost.

He went on about Donald Trump, sure. "Super guy, super guy," Jordan said after running through a list of campaign promises he said the former president had kept, including lowering taxes, reducing regulations, and putting conservatives on the Supreme Court.

And he attacked President Joe Biden, the federal deficit and the FBI, who will be in his sights when he leads an investigation into the "weaponization of government."

On what it takes to be successful

But he bookended his talk with notes on what he loves about American history, particularly that as conveyed in the books of author David McCullough, who died last year, "John Adams," "1776," "The Johnstown Flood," among them.

"But our favorite is the one on 'The Wright Brothers.' McCullough starts off the book ... he says, 'Someone once asked Wilbur Wright what it takes to be successful.' And he said, 'Pick out a good father and mother and begin life in Ohio,'" Jordan said.

"What I think Wilbur Wright was getting at was if you have a supportive family and you live in America, the sky's the limit. You can accomplish any goal, any dream you have if you're willing to work," Jordan said, before going on to share a similar quote from the former Dodgers pitching great Orel Hershiser.

"In this country, ordinary people don't have to do ordinary things. They can do great things. They can do extraordinary things if they are willing to work hard and never quit. That is what this country has always offered its citizens," Jordan added. "And frankly, that's what I think is on the line right now, because if the Left gets their way, and their policies prevail in this great country, what Wilbur Wright and Orel Hershiser were talking about, I don't know if that can continue to happen."

Jordan cited a New York Times-Siena College poll from last September, where Democrats were asked whether America is the world's greatest nation, and 55% said it was not. The same poll, by the way, showed 69% of Republicans believed it is.

House Republicans' goals in year ahead

As the GOP has taken control of the House, Jordan and other Republicans who've spent the last four years standing in the way of Democrats are now in a position of governing. As Democrats hold a slim margin in the Senate and have Biden in the White House, there are limits to what can be accomplished − a fact Jordan acknowledged − but he revealed a formula he believes will help Republicans take control of the White House and Senate in 2024.

The 118th House has three basic tasks:

• "Pass the bills that fix the problems," including bolstering border security, increasing military recruitment, and reducing inflation.

• Jordan said Republicans need to force Biden and the Senate to negotiate over raising the debt ceiling. "We need to stand firm. Maybe we don't get a bunch of cuts but we've got to at least get some structure," such as requiring Congress to pass a budget by the end of the fiscal year, Sept. 30, or else spending will be frozen at the previous year's levels.

• Oversight of government, particularly unelected bureaucrats. "Anyone ever vote for Dr. Fauci? Did he ever have his name on the ballot? No. But he ran our lives for three years."

Congressional investigations in the name of oversight are expected on several fronts, starting with the FBI, which Jordan said has hired foreign nationals to get information on a presidential candidate, deceived the FISA court, altered court documents, raided Trump's home "91 days before the midterm election," and helped suppress a story about the discovery of Hunter Biden's laptop.

Another will involve newly elected U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, whose district includes the southern half of Volusia County and all of Seminole County. Mills has been appointed to the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, the second of which will probe into Biden's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

"To get answers for the 13 Gold Star families, the thousands of Americans left behind," Mills said.

U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, whose new district includes the northern half of Volusia, all of Flagler and other parts north, also made reference to the investigations Republicans intend to lead, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over the border, FBI Director Christopher Wray and the president's son.

"Clear your calendar, Mayorkas. Clear your calendar, Chris Wray," Waltz said. "Clear your calendar, Hunter Biden, because Jim Jordan and the Judiciary Committee and the Republican-led House of Representatives are going to bring accountability back into the United States government."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Rep. Jordan to investigate Dems 'weaponization' of government