It’s happening: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has temporarily assigned Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) to the House Intelligence Committee as the impeachment inquiry enters its public phase.
Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR) will temporarily step aside to make Jordan’s move effective.
An aide told CNN Friday that there is currently no plan to add other Republicans to the committee, despite how some Trump allies have made the request.
Jordan, who has led GOP efforts in the closed-door impeachment proceedings while serving as a ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, previously confirmed his then-potential House Intel move during an appearance on “Fox & Friends” earlier this week. Jordan said Tuesday that the possible move was “a call for [House Minority] Leader McCarthy” to make and that he “just wants to help our team.”
On Wednesday, Jordan dismissed the revised testimony of EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland, which confirmed Trump’s Ukraine quid pro quo, as “Sondland’s opinion.” On the other hand, Jordan found the testimony of special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, which claims that he was unaware of any quid pro quo, to be a “definitive account.”
Earlier Friday, an Ohio State University referee accused Jordan — who was an assistant coach at the university — of shrugging off rampant sexual assault allegations against Dr. Richard Strauss. Jordan denied the allegations and claimed that the people who making the allegations are politically motivated.
