A former U.S. Attorney says that if Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) tries to defy the House Committee on the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, he won’t “have a leg to stand on” and will be facing significant jail time for his obstinance.
Barbara McQuade, who was a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan from 2010 to 2017, told MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart:
“You know, the word unprecedented is sometimes overused I think in these days. But this is absolutely a situation that’s unprecedented, subpoenaing a member of Congress. As a professional courtesy, they have first been requested to come forward, but if they continue to refuse, Chairman [Bennie] Thompson said they will use subpoenas if necessary.”
McQuade added that even though members of Congress are rarely subpoenaed, Jordan had better not expect he’ll get off scot-free:
“I imagine they will fight them, you know, asserting some of the same legal arguments we heard from others. But I think, if Congress wants this information, there is nothing in the law that prohibits them from issuing subpoenas to fellow members of Congress.”
After Capehart played a video clip of Jordan nervously admitting that he spoke with failed ex-President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, McQuade noted:
“Well, I think at some point if he continues to fight, then the committee will demand that he come by issuing a subpoena. At that point his options are to be held in contempt, which can include jail time if he is prosecuted for that crime; so the same path that we have seen for Steve Bannon. So I think it is going to be difficult for him to manage, because unlike Steve Bannon, he’s an elected official.”
“At some point I think his refusal to testify could impact his candidacy down the road. Of course, he represents a base that perhaps would see that sort of defiance as being more attractive rather than less attractive. He’s clearly somebody who has information. I think if I put somebody on the stand with that kind of evasive answer, I would use that as evidence of consciousness of guilt. I want to know what they discussed that day, before that day, and after that day.”
If Jordan is subpoenaed and remains unwilling to testify, he needs to be referred to the Justice Department for criminal contempt of Congress, which could result in him serving two years in prison.
Lock him up!
Here’s the clip from MSNBC:
