Tag: jim jordan
James Comer

Republicans Spouting Absurd Claims To Deflect Trump's Epstein Letter

In yet another sign that GOP lawmakers have no shame when it comes to defending their Dear Leader, multiple Republican members of Congress made the insane claim this week that President Donald Trump’s vile birthday message to Jeffrey Epstein was forged.

The lawmakers were taking cues from the White House, which claimed that Trump's signature on the birthday note is not real—suggesting that someone nearly 25 years ago had the foresight to forge Trump's signature.

"From what I've seen, it's not his signature," Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida said, even though it is very clearly Trump's signature.

And, in true Republican fashion, Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee used it as an opportunity to turn attention back to President Joe Biden’s use of an autopen.

"I don't know. I mean, anyone can do a signature. We’ve seen autopens been used quite a bit by the Biden administration,” he said.

“The president says he did not sign it. So I take the president [at] his word,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer told CNN.

Comer, who spent two years investigating Biden, added that he has no plans to investigate Trump over the letter.

“You asked if I'm going to be trying to figure out whether that, you know, fake or not, probably not. We're going to be trying to get justice for the victim,” he said.

Similarly, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio told CNN that he doesn't "buy" that the signature was Trump's, and that he doesn't think that the House should investigate Trump's ties to Epstein. But what else would you expect from someone accused of refusing to protect sexual assault victims when he was a wrestling coach at the Ohio State University?

Rep. Eric Burlison of Missouri tried to pull the notorious "I haven't seen the letter" cop out when asked about it by CNN's Manu Raju. But when Raju pulled out a copy of the birthday message, Burlison refused to look at it.

"I don't want to see it,” he said while laughing.

House Speaker Mike Johnson also ridiculously claimed to have not seen the note.

"I’ve heard about it. But no," Johnson told reporters. "And the White House says it’s not true."

Meanwhile, Democrats are mocking Republicans for their blatant lies.

“So let me get this straight … 20 years ago, Democrats forged Trump’s signature on a creepy birthday card to a pedophile … planted it in Epstein’s estate before Trump even ran … and then waited to release it until *after* Trump got reelected? Got it,” Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts wrote on X.

"I have two eyes. You have two eyes,” Rep. Eric Swalwell of California told CNN. “Anyone who looks at that letter which was provided by the Epstein estate knows whose signature that was.”

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos

Jim Jordan

Jim Jordan Making 'Aggressive Moves' To Replace Speaker Johnson

Since both Republicans and Democrats blocked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) motion to vacate the speakership Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is safe — for now.

The Georgia lawmaker has not been the only Republican House member plotting on Johnson's removal, according to a Thursday, May 9 Axios report.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) has plans of his own to takeover his Louisiana colleague's position in 2025.

Per Axios, several sources said that "Jordan privately told colleagues what he would be doing differently than Johnson during the recent fight over foreign aid funding."

Additionally, the Ohio GOP leader "has been noticed handing out more campaign checks to colleagues," according to some of his colleagues, and one Republican told the news outlet "that Jordan previously said it was 'not his job' to help vulnerable members. His shift has raised his peers' eyebrows."

Jordan was vying for the speakership last year after Rep. Kevin McCarthy's (R-CA) ouster, but failed when "25 Republicans refused to vote for him on the House floor on his final ballot."

The Ohio lawmaker has not given up hope.

According to Axios, "Jordan has hit the trail for a bevy of Republicans in recent months, including vulnerable Republicans and" McCarthy allies.

Axios' full report is available here.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

Jim Jordan

House Republican Threat To Hunter Biden Reveals Hypocrisy

Republicans provided another textbook example of massive hypocrisy on Wednesday with a letter ordering Hunter Biden to appear for a hearing on December 13. The letter to Hunter’s attorney says that he has no choice. He must appear for a closed-door deposition on that date or face contempt of Congress charges.

Hunter has offered to appear in a public hearing on any date, but Republicans have refused the offer. They want the session closed so that they can selectively dribble out fragments of this testimony they believe fit the narrative they have been building to impeach President Joe Biden. Rep. James Comer (R-KY) has been constructing his case against the president using increasingly ridiculous claims. This week included assertions that Hunter paying back his father for the downpayment on a truck allegedly showed that Joe Biden had received bribes from China.

But the biggest red flag of hypocrisy in the latest letter may be one of the signatures at the bottom. In addition to Comer, the letter was also signed by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). The same Jim Jordan who infamously refused to appear in response to a subpoena from the Jan. 6 select committee.

Jordan, who was heavily involved in the planning and execution of the attempted overturning of votes on January 6, first insisted that he had “nothing to hide” about those events. But when the select committee investigating January 6 asked Jordan to testify, he refused. That eventually led to Jordan being the subject of a congressional subpoena.

How did Jordan respond to his subpoena? With a list of demands before he would agree to talk. Jordan accused the House Select Committee of “not operating in good faith,” and of being unfair. He insisted that investigating the January 6 insurrection was not a “legitimate task of Congress” because it did not “advance a legitimate legislative purpose.” Because of this, he claimed that both the committee and the subpoenas were unconstitutional. Jordan never appeared before the House Select Committee.

Jordan insists that investigating an insurrection that included an armed mob crashing through the doors of the Capitol is not part of Congress’ business. However, he apparently believes that checking out small personal loans between a father and son demands the attention of two House committees.

By the test that Jordan himself laid out: Exactly what legislative purpose does questioning Hunter Biden about his truck payments satisfy?

As Laura Clawson reported on Wednesday, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) has made it explicitly clear why Republicans want Hunter Biden to come in. They want to launch an impeachment of Joe Biden, evidence or no evidence, so they can provide Donald Trump with “a little bit of ammo to fire back” going into the 2024 election.

This isn’t about any legitimate concerns over anything that either Hunter Biden or Joe Biden did. It’s about House Republicans trying to prove their loyalty to Trump and provide him with something to sneer over at the next rally.

Hunter Biden’s attorney has made it explicitly clear that Hunter Biden wants to testify publicly because Comer’s committee has demonstrated time and again that “it uses closed-door sessions to manipulate, even distort, the facts and misinform the American public—a hearing would ensure transparency and truth in these proceedings."

Both Comer and Jordan are aware that any hope they would really find something in these hearings to justify further action died over the summer when star witness Devon Archer blew a hole through false claims. They’ve found nothing, because there is nothing, even if Jordan keeps repeating false stories from Rudy Giuliani that were debunked four years ago.

Comer’s “investigation” is a farce. Jordan’s support is the height of hypocrisy. Together they are the Wonder Twins of the Republican House, shaping their committees into a footstool for Trump. Now they’ll get to pound their chests about why the evidence they say should be made public can’t be heard by the public.

Reprinted with permission from Daily Kos.

Hunter Biden Prosecutor Says Nobody Interfered With His Investigation

Hunter Biden Prosecutor Says Nobody Interfered With His Investigation

David Weiss, who was tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland as special counsel to oversee the Department of Justice's investigation into Hunter Biden, recently testified under oath that his investigation has not been obstructed in any way by the Biden administration.

The House Judiciary Committee — chaired by Trump acolyte Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) — recently brought in Weiss for questioning in relation to the ongoing Hunter Biden investigation, which Republicans argue is being hamstrung by the White House. But the Washington Post reported Wednesday that Weiss' testimony silenced those rumors.

"I am, and have been, the decision-maker on this case," Weiss said. "At no time was I blocked, or otherwise prevented from pursuing charges or taking the steps necessary in the investigation by other United States Attorneys, the Tax Division or anyone else at the Department of Justice."

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the ranking member on the committee, called Weiss' testimony a "waste of time."

"[Weiss] was very clear that no one told him what to prosecute and what not to prosecute. He made all those decisions himself, and he said that before," Nadler said. "And I mean, [Republicans] tried to get him to say anything, but they just go over and over and over again the same thing."

House Republicans disagreed with that sentiment, insisting that Weiss' testimony wasn't credible and that questions still lingered about political pressure from the White House on the DOJ's investigation into the president's son.

"The important thing is that he has no answers for why he would offer a misdemeanor plea bargain with no jail time to someone who committed felonies and exclude all unknown or yet-to-be-investigated crimes," Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) said. "It’s that lack of explanation that leads us to all the other questions of whether he was influenced by others or in consultation with others."

Hunter Biden is set to go to trial in 2024 on charges relating to gun possession and filing false statements after a plea agreement fell apart earlier this year. Weiss was appointed by former President Donald Trump in 2018 to be US Attorney for the US District Court in the District of Delaware. President Biden has kept him in that position.

Reprinted with permission from Alternet.

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