Shortly before the House of Representatives took a vote to decide who would be the next speaker of the House, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) decided she’d make the case for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) to be that person.
But as HuffPost notes, Stefanik’s reference to Jordan’s past as a wrestler drew audible gasps in the House chamber and left many wondering what in the hell she’d been thinking by bringing up the subject.
Stefanik said Jordan “is the voice of the American people who have felt voiceless for far too long. Whether as judiciary chair, conservative leader, or representative for his constituents in West Central Ohio, whether on the wrestling mat or in the committee room, Jim Jordan is strategic, scrappy, tough and principled.”
The wrestling comment once again brought to the forefront Jordan’s controversial past as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University from 1986 to 1994 at a time when the team doctor molested several of the student-athletes. Allegedly, Jordan knew about the abuse and said nothing.
Stefanik: Jim is the voice of the American people who have felt voiceless for far too long. Whether as judiciary chair, conservative leader or representative for his constituents in west-central Ohio, whether on the wrestling mat… pic.twitter.com/P1MJZzyfFn
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 17, 2023
Former OSU wrestler, Dunyasha Yetts had this to say about Jordan possibly being speaker of the House:
“He doesn’t deserve to be House speaker. He still has to answer for what happened to us.”
That led many on Twitter to remark that citing Jordan’s wrestling prowess isn’t exactly the best idea.
Totally explains why he was "voiceless" when it came to reporting molestation of students. pic.twitter.com/MVP6NAg6rc
— KevinlyFather 🇺🇲🇨🇦🇲🇼🇸🇿 (@KevinlyFather) October 17, 2023
Jim Jordan wasn’t a voice for the voiceless on that wrestling mat. He covered up sexual abuse for years. https://t.co/mPmK7eLsG5
— Tanya (@tgreene319) October 17, 2023
Wow, I can’t believe @RepStefanik went there when so many young college students at Ohio State were sexually assaulted and molested under Assistant Coach Jordan’s watch pic.twitter.com/QvnypD0gWp
— Karen Musk MAGA Grievance Mgr (Clearly Parody) (@elonsbuttcrack) October 17, 2023
@RepStefanik Jim Jordan hasn’t done shit for his constituents or the American people in his 16 years in congress, he has never written or passed a single piece of legislation in his 16 years in congress. Shut the hell the fake bullshit praise woman https://t.co/BTVLOoMjBG
— Ivan Perez (@S1lentonexx88) October 17, 2023
Jim understands Americans who long for fascism, who yearn to look away as their kids are sexually abused, who are too lazy to do any actual work if it’s not half assed showboating. Real salt of the earth. https://t.co/GDNwSvQKa5
— Noah Mallin (@NoahMallin) October 17, 2023
