After declaring that he has “nothing to hide” about what role he may have played in the January 6 Capitol insurrection that left five people dead, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is now refusing to comply with the House Select Committee investigating the incident, which set off a wave of disgust and anger on social media, including suggestions that Jordan’s refusal proves he’s a “dirty traitor.”
The Washington Post reports Jordan made his decision public on Sunday:
In a letter dated Sunday and addressed to the committee’s chairman, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), the Ohio Republican and close ally of former president Donald Trump accused the panel, made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans, of playing politics.
“Your attempt to pry into the deliberative process informing a Member about legislative matters before the House is an outrageous abuse of the Select Committee’s authority,” Jordan wrote in the letter, which he posted to his Twitter account Sunday.
It remains unclear if the Jan. 6 committee will now subpoena Jordan, who could be referred to the Justice Department for criminal contempt of Congress if he refuses to obey a subpoena.
In the past, Jordan has insisted he played no role in the Jan. 6 riots:
Jordan said he was unconcerned about the scrutiny. “If they call me, I got nothing to hide,” the far-right lawmaker said in July. In October, during a House Rules Committee hearing, the Ohioan echoed the sentiment, insisting, “I’ve said all along, ‘I have nothing to hide.'”
Jordan’s refusal led many on social media to suggest that he clearly fears telling what he knows because it will incriminate him and others, including failed former President Donald Trump.