On a Tuesday in November, House Republicans chose Jim Jordan of Ohio to lead a conference that is shrinking as the party prepares to leave power. It is a quiet kind of reversal for a man who, not long ago, was pushed aside in a bitter scramble for the speaker's gavel. Jordan's career has been built on combat, on subpoenas and sharp-edged investigations, and now the instruments he wielded are about to pass into other hands. The moment marks a turn in the long cycle of power, where the one who once pressed others now must learn how it feels to be pressed.
Jim Jordan Elected to Lead a Shrinking House Republican Conference After Years of Oversight Fights
Come January, it will be wielded by the other side.
Mark
Why does this election matter beyond a leadership post?
Mimi
Because it's a comeback. Three years ago his colleagues repeatedly voted down his speakership bid. Now they've chosen him to lead a smaller conference.
Mark
Smaller how?
Luke
The reporting says one of the smallest in decades, but it gives no seat count. I'd want the actual number before leaning on that.
Mimi
The bigger shift is the January change. His oversight tools go to the other side.
Mark
So he becomes the target of the kind of scrutiny he ran?
Luke
That's the piece's forward-looking read, and it's an expectation, not something that has happened yet.
Mark
What about the 2022 subpoena?
Mimi
He refused it and challenged the panel's legitimacy. The committee said he spoke with Trump at least twice on 6 January and referred him to the ethics committee. Democrats cite it whenever he demands compliance from others.
Luke
Note that the phone calls are the panel's claim. The piece doesn't say how Jordan answered that specific point.
Mark
And the Ohio State allegations?
Luke
They're allegations from former wrestlers and staff, and he denies them. Several former coaches and athletes back him. Nothing here resolves it.
Der Puls
- House Republicans elected Jim Jordan to lead a conference that is shrinking fast as the party heads into minority status.
- Jordan returns from a humiliating 2023 speakership defeat, a setback that followed the chaos of Kevin McCarthy's ouster.
- His record of defying a January 6 subpoena and his denied allegations about ignoring abuse at Ohio State keep his credibility under sharp scrutiny.
- When Republicans lose the majority in January, his oversight machinery turns around, and he will face the Democratic investigations he once led.
On a Tuesday in November, House Republicans chose Jim Jordan of Ohio to lead a conference that is shrinking as the party prepares to leave power. It is a quiet kind of reversal for a man who, not long ago, was pushed aside in a bitter scramble for the speaker's gavel. Jordan's career has been built on combat, on subpoenas and sharp-edged investigations, and now the instruments he wielded are about to pass into other hands. The moment marks a turn in the long cycle of power, where the one who once pressed others now must learn how it feels to be pressed.
On Tuesday, House Republicans chose Jim Jordan of Ohio to lead their conference, giving the job to a combative ally of Donald Trump who once defied a congressional subpoena. The vote arrives as the party adjusts to life out of power, and the conference he will lead has shrunk to one of the smallest in decades.
For Jordan, the moment is a reversal. Three years ago he was pushed out of the race for speaker after colleagues repeatedly refused to back him, in the turmoil following Kevin McCarthy's ouster.
His rise began in rural Ohio, where he wrestled, won state titles, and later coached at Ohio State. He moved through the state legislature before reaching Congress in 2006. There he co-founded the House Freedom Caucus and became known for hardball tactics. As chairman of the judiciary committee from 2023, he led investigations of the Biden administration, though Democrats saw his panel as a vehicle for conspiracy theories.
Two episodes continue to follow him. He refused a 2022 subpoena from the January 6 committee, and he has denied allegations that he ignored sexual abuse by a team doctor while on the Ohio State staff. Former athletes and coaches have defended him. He has also been accused of hypocrisy, since he often demanded that others comply with subpoenas.
Come January, the oversight tool that defined his chairmanship passes to Democrats, and Jordan will lead a party on the receiving end of scrutiny.
On Tuesday, House Republicans chose Jim Jordan of Ohio to lead their conference, handing the job to a combative ally of Donald Trump who once defied a congressional subpoena. The vote comes as the party adjusts to life out of power, and the conference he will lead is shrinking to one of the smallest in decades.
For Jordan, the result is a reversal. Three years ago he was pushed out of the contentious race for House speaker after fellow Republicans repeatedly voted against his bid for the gavel. That fight came in the chaotic aftermath of Kevin McCarthy's ouster.
His path to Washington began in Troy, Ohio. He was raised in rural Champaign county, won four state wrestling titles in high school, and later coached the sport at Ohio State University. He served in both chambers of the Ohio legislature before winning his seat in Congress in 2006.
In the House he became known for far-right politics and hardball tactics. He co-founded the House Freedom Caucus, the hard-right bloc that regularly defied its own leaders, and served as its first chairman. From January 2023 he chaired the House judiciary committee, where he led investigations of the Biden administration. He also headed a select subcommittee on the "weaponization" of the federal government. Republicans said that panel exposed government pressure on social media companies. Democrats dismissed it as a vehicle for conspiracy theories.
His record includes two episodes that have followed him. In 2022, Jordan refused a subpoena from the committee investigating the 6 January attack on the US Capitol, challenging the panel's legitimacy. The committee said he spoke with Trump by phone at least twice that day and referred him to the House ethics committee. He also played a key role in Trump's effort to overturn the 2020 election results. Democrats have raised the subpoena episode whenever he has demanded that others comply with subpoenas.
Separately, former Ohio State wrestlers and staff members have repeatedly alleged that Jordan, an assistant coach at the time, knew of sexual abuse by team doctor Richard Strauss and ignored it. Jordan has consistently denied it. He says he never heard of any such abuse and calls the allegations politically motivated. Several former coaches and athletes have defended him.
As a legislator, Jordan has sponsored few bills but co-sponsored well over a thousand. He is better known for his combative presence from the bench than for legislative craft. He firmly supports tax cuts, abortion restrictions and tougher border enforcement, and remains a fierce defender of the Trump administration.
Oversight has been his specialty, and for two years he used it against the Biden administration. Come January, that tool passes to the other side. Jordan will be leading the party that is on the receiving end.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
He has consistently denied knowing of any abuse by Richard Strauss and calls the allegations politically motivated.— Jim Jordan, as characterized in the Guardian
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