Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) says he won’t voluntarily cooperate with the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol, calling the request “unprecedented and inappropriate” in a Jan. 9 letter.
“The American people are tired of Democrats’ nonstop investigations and partisan witch hunts,” Jordan wrote. “Your letter of December 22, 2021, unfortunately, continues this Democrat obsession. It amounts to an unprecedented and inappropriate demand to examine the basis for a colleague’s decision on a particular matter pending before the House of Representatives.
“This request is far outside the bounds of any legitimate inquiry, violates core Constitutional principles, and would serve to further erode legislative norms.”
The Ohio Republican cited a number of reasons why he doesn’t need to cooperate with the investigation, which has so far appeared to focus on individuals who previously served in the Trump administration, including those who were no longer in the White House during the Jan. 6 breach.
Jordan wrote that he “cannot speak to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s failure” to ensure the Capitol building had adequate security in advance of the breach and that he has nothing to add to the “bipartisan, comprehensive findings of the Senate investigative committees or to those issued by federal inspectors general.”
The congressman said he was performing “official duties” as a lawmaker at the time the Capitol building was breached.
He wrote that even if he had information to share with the House committee, “the actions and statements of Democrats in the House of Representatives show that you are not conducting a fair-minded and objective inquiry.”
“We write to seek your voluntary cooperation in advancing our investigation,” the letter states. “We understand that you had at least one and possibly multiple communications with President Trump on January 6th. We would like to discuss each such communication with you in detail.”
The letter also states that “despite the urgent requests that the President speak and instruct the rioters to leave, President Trump did not make such a statement for multiple hours as rioters attacked police and invaded and occupied the Capitol.”
Lawmakers have accused the former president of encouraging violence at the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol, a claim Trump strongly denies.
A spokesman for the committee told The Epoch Times the Ohio Republican’s response “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. 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.”
The nine-member committee, which includes seven Democrats, has subpoenaed a number of people as part of its investigation, including Trump’s former national security adviser Mike Flynn, former adviser Stephen Bannon, and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
The committee has yet to find substantial evidence that high-ranking Republican officials participated in or had any prior knowledge of the events of the Capitol breach.
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