On a Wednesday in early February, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio took up the gavel of the House Judiciary Committee, a post he had long pursued after years of loud defense of former President Trump. His opening hearing on border policy, accusing the Biden administration of deliberately letting control of the border slip, marked a turn in which the old habits of the microphone now carry the force of subpoenas. Whether this moment becomes a legitimate reckoning with government conduct or a new arena for the nation's bitter partisanship is a question the coming months will begin to answer.
Jim Jordan Takes the Judiciary Gavel, Promising Fiery Oversight and Subpoena Power
Once a thorn in the side of leaders, Jordan now holds the gavel.
Mark
Why does the gavel matter so much for Jordan specifically?
Mimi
Because he spent years sending letters that went unanswered. Issa described hundreds of them, some ignored for up to four years across two committees. Subpoena power means those questions now carry consequences.
Luke
Careful, though. Issa is a Republican ally describing the letters. We know Jordan sent more than 100 last year to FBI and DOJ, but the "hundreds" and "four years" figures come from Issa alone.
Mark
And the border hearing, what was the significance there?
Mimi
Jordan said the record migrant numbers seemed deliberate, premeditated, intentional. The article reads that as groundwork for a possible Mayorkas impeachment, which Jordan would oversee.
Luke
Worth noting that's the reporter's reading. Jordan didn't announce an impeachment. He made a claim about intent, and the piece doesn't present evidence for or against it.
Mark
What's unusual about the weaponization subcommittee?
Mimi
It can oversee ongoing criminal investigations, and its 15 members get access to what the House Intelligence Committee receives.
Luke
Democrats fear it will interfere with the Trump probes. That's a fear, stated by Nadler, not something that has happened. Nothing here shows interference yet.
Mark
How do colleagues describe him?
Mimi
Massie and Issa praise him for sharing time and promoting by talent. Raskin jabs at his rapid-fire style. Buck, who has clashed with him, hinted Jordan will now face feedback himself.
Luke
Those are all people with a stake, so the portraits tell you more about alignments than about the man.
Der Puls
- Jordan opened his first Judiciary hearing by accusing the Biden administration of deliberately abandoning operational control of the border, and the charge already points toward a possible impeachment of DHS Secretary Mayorkas.
- A new weaponization subcommittee gives Jordan's panel power to oversee ongoing criminal investigations, with access to material usually reserved for the Intelligence Committee.
- Subpoena power, which he lacked in the minority, now lets Jordan turn more than 100 unanswered letters to the FBI and Justice Department into demands that must be met.
- Democrats warn that probes into DOJ and the FBI could collide with inquiries into Trump's role in the Jan. 6 riot and his handling of classified records.
- Republicans praise his fairness and talent while some remain wary, and the first real test will be whether subpoenas against federal law enforcement ignite sharp partisan clashes.
On a Wednesday in early February, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio took up the gavel of the House Judiciary Committee, a post he had long pursued after years of loud defense of former President Trump. His opening hearing on border policy, accusing the Biden administration of deliberately letting control of the border slip, marked a turn in which the old habits of the microphone now carry the force of subpoenas. Whether this moment becomes a legitimate reckoning with government conduct or a new arena for the nation's bitter partisanship is a question the coming months will begin to answer.
On Wednesday, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio gaveled in his first hearing as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, opening a planned series on border and migration policy. His combative style arrived with the promotion. Jordan has long been one of former President Trump's most visible defenders, and now he holds the gavel he had sought.
He used the hearing to accuse the Biden administration of deliberately declining to maintain operational control of the border, describing record migrant crossings as premeditated. The remarks laid groundwork for a possible impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a process Jordan would oversee.
The committee will also pursue alleged political bias at the Justice Department, the FBI, and big tech. Jordan's new weaponization subcommittee can oversee ongoing criminal investigations, and its members gain access to sensitive intelligence material. With subpoena power he lacked in the minority, Jordan can now compel answers to the more than 100 letters he sent last year, some ignored for years.
Reactions split along familiar lines. Allies praised his fairness and talent, while Ken Buck warned he would now receive feedback himself. Democrats, including Jamie Raskin and Jerry Nadler, cautioned about his rapid-fire rhetoric and argued the new panel could itself become the weapon, potentially interfering with probes into Trump's role in the Jan. 6 riot and his handling of classified records.
What comes next is how Jordan wields subpoenas against the DOJ and FBI, and whether oversight of active criminal cases sparks sharp partisan confrontation.
On Wednesday, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio gaveled in his first hearing as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. It was the opening session in a planned series on border and migration policy, and it showed that his combative style had come along with the promotion. Jordan, long one of former President Trump's most visible defenders, has had a microphone for years. Now he has the gavel he had been seeking.
He used the hearing to accuse the Biden administration of deliberately declining to maintain "operational control" of the border. Month after month, he said, record numbers of migrants have been entering the country, and he described it as deliberate, premeditated and intentional. The remarks lay groundwork for a possible impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a process Jordan would oversee as chairman.
The border is only one of several subjects the committee plans to pursue. Jordan's investigations will also take up Republican allegations of political bias at the Department of Justice and the FBI, and in big tech and social media. He also leads a new select subcommittee on the "weaponization" of the federal government, which is expected to dig further into claims of bias at DOJ and the FBI, including their role in investigating Trump.
The subcommittee carries some unusual powers. It can oversee "ongoing criminal investigations," and its 15 members get access to the same information shared with the House Intelligence Committee, which receives some of the most closely guarded material the intelligence community gives Congress. Jordan also now holds subpoena power, which he lacked in the minority. Last year he sent more than 100 letters to the FBI and Justice Department in advance of the probes he expected to run.
Rep. Darrell Issa of California said the gavel changes a lot. Questions that went out in hundreds of letters, some ignored for as long as four years across two committees, will now have to be answered, he said. Issa also said Jordan is very good at not monopolizing time and makes sure other members get to speak. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said Jordan promotes members by talent rather than seniority, comparing him to a bandleader willing to hire a guitarist or drummer better than himself.
Not every Republican was effusive. Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, who has clashed with Jordan over antitrust issues, offered a terse view: Jordan "is going to get some feedback instead of giving feedback all the time."
Democrats see the same style differently. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a Judiciary member and ranking member of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, noted that Jordan speaks extremely rapidly and advised colleagues to take notes so they do not lose track of "drive-by fallacies or mischaracterizations" by the end of a statement. He added that he senses a three-dimensional human being struggling to get out from behind the rapid-fire polemicist, though he acknowledged people consider him an optimist. Judiciary ranking member Jerry Nadler of New York was blunter, saying the new select committee is itself the weapon, not an inquiry into weaponization.
Democrats worry the panel could interfere with ongoing probes, including those into Trump's role in the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, riot and his handling of classified records at his Florida home.
Jordan's standing among House Republicans was visible during Speaker Kevin McCarthy's drawn-out fight for the speakership, when some of the 20 members who forced the floor battle nominated and voted for Jordan instead. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, one of them, called him the conference's hardest-working and most talented member. Jordan, a founder of the House Freedom Caucus, had challenged McCarthy for leader in 2018, but this time backed him, saying his priority was running investigations. After the 2018 challenge he became ranking member on Oversight, then moved to ranking member on Judiciary.
What to watch now is how he uses subpoenas against DOJ and FBI, and whether oversight of ongoing criminal cases sets off sharp partisan clashes.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Month after month after month, we have set records for migrants coming into the country. It seems deliberate. It seems premeditated. It seems intentional.— Rep. Jim Jordan
This new select committee is the weapon itself.— Rep. Jerry Nadler, Judiciary ranking member
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