Rep. Jim Jordan admits he spoke with Donald Trump on January 6 but refuses to say what they discussed and claims Nancy Pelosi blocked him from Capitol riot commission because he raised 'fundamental' questions
Republican congressman Jim Jordan has admitted he spoke with Donald Trump on January 6 but refused to reveal what they discussed - after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blocked him from joining a special committee to investigate the Capitol riots.
Fox News host Bret Baier asked Jordan, the 57-year-old Trump loyalist, on Tuesday if he had spoken with the then-president on the day of the deadly Capitol insurrection.
Jordan deflected, saying: 'I've talked to the former president umpteen times, thousands. I mean, not thousands–'
Baier jumped in asking for clarity, saying: 'I mean on January 6.'
'I talked to the president. I never talk about what we talk about. I just don't think that's appropriate, just like I don't talk about what happens in Republican conferences,' Jordan responded.
He continued: 'So I talked to the president numerous times. I continue to talk to the president.'
Baier once again asked for a straight-forward answer from the Ohio politician, saying: 'No, no. I mean on January 6, congressman.'
'Yes. I mean I've talked the president so many – I can't remember all the days I have talked to him, but I have certainly talked to the president,' Jordan replied.
Republican congressman Jim Jordan has admitted he spoke with Donald Trump on January 6 but will not reveal what was discussed
Baier took his answer as confirmation and continued, asking Jordan: 'And on that day, can you share any of the insight of what he was thinking about that day?'
Jordan evaded his question and instead shifted focus to 'the people we need to come testify.'
'Bret, the people we need to come testify are the people who can testify to the fundamental questions,' Jordan said.
'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.'
He added: 'That's the information and testimony we need to get. That's what we should focus on.'
Jordan's comments added to those from fellow Republicans trying to push blame away from Trump for the violent riots onto Democratic lawmakers - suggesting they had not adequately planned for such violence.
'Why was the Capitol so ill-prepared for that day, when [Democrats] knew on Dec. 14 that they had a problem?' House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has previously said - as noted by The New York Times.
He added: 'Pelosi has created a sham process.'
Jordan's comments added to those from fellow Republicans trying to push blame away from Trump for the violent riots onto Democratic lawmakers
In his Fox News appearance on Tuesday, Jordan also claimed that Pelosi kept him off the committee in retaliation for comments he had made about her
McCarthy had appointed Jordan to the committee, as well as Indiana Rep. Jim Banks - who was also blocked from joining by Pelosi.
The top Democratic lawmaker said in a statement to The New York Times that she had Banks and Jordan from the committee because of comments they had made undermining the investigation.
Jordan pushed false claims of election fraud on the House floor just as the rioters raided the Capitol - and has loudly supported Trump's repeated attempts to undermine the legitimacy the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Meanwhile, Banks has compared the Capitol riot to protests last summer after the death of George Floyd - and ripped the exact committee he was tapped by McCarthy to join as being created to 'malign conservatives.'
The select committee investigating the January 6th riot at the Capitol holds its first hearing under a cloud of controversy Tuesday after Speaker Nancy Pelosi nixed two of House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy's choices
Pelosi has appointed two Republican lawmakers, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, onto what was supposed to be a bipartisan committee.
Cheney suggested in an interview with Good Morning America before Jordan's comments on Tuesday that he could be subpoenaed and compelled to testify as a witness in the investigation,
'I think that Congressman Jordan may well be a material witness,' Cheney said.
'He's somebody who was involved in a number of meetings in the lead-up to what happened on January 6th, involved in planning for January 6th, certainly for the objections that day as he said publicly, so he may well be a material witness.'
She added: 'We will on this committee follow the facts wherever they go and get to the bottom of it and, George, we'll do it in a nonpartisan way which is absolutely crucial for the future of the nation.'
Two Republicans - Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger - are part of the investigation of the January 6th riot
Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger choked up when he spoke to the officers who testified about what happened that day
Kinzinger and Cheney have been ripped by their colleagues after they were among only 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump during his second impeachment.
The two lawmakers were also the only Republicans who voted to form the special committee last month.
'For months, lies and conspiracy theories have been spread, threatening our self-governance,' Kinzinger said in a statement.
'For months, I have said that the American people deserve transparency and truth on how and why thousands showed up to attack our democracy.'
He added: 'I will work diligently to ensure we get to the truth and hold those responsible for the attack fully accountable.'
In his Fox News appearance on Tuesday, Jordan also claimed that Pelosi kept him off the committee in retaliation for comments he had made about her.
He accused her of not answering why Capitol police didn't have more help the day Trump's supporters stormed in to stop the verification of electoral college votes.
He said: 'The real question is, and I've said this many times, why weren't those guys who testified today and all the other Capitol Hill police who protect us and protect Capitol Hill, why weren't they given more help?'
'Why wasn't more help there that day? And the only person who can answer that question is the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. And I think she thought we were going to keep raising that question and that's why she didn't put me on.'
The Speaker of the House does not oversee the U.S. Capitol Police but appoints the lower chamber's sergeant-at-arms - who in turn is a member of the board that oversees the department.
'We're just asking a fundamental question,' Jordan said.
'Why wasn't there a proper security posture on January 6, and what have we done to correct that? And to make sure it doesn't happen in the future. I think those are fundamental questions. It's not about blame. The blame resides with the people who did wrong. They should be prosecuted.'
