Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, speaks during a Select Subcommittee On Coronavirus Crisis hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.
Susan Walsh | AP Photo | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The House select committee investigating the deadly Capitol riot said Wednesday it has asked for a meeting with Republican Rep. Jim Jordan to discuss his communications with then-President Donald Trump on Jan. 6.
Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, is the second lawmaker tapped by the committee to cooperate with the probe of the invasion, when hundreds of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol and temporarily stopped Congress from confirming President Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., said Tuesday he would refuse to cooperate with the investigators.
In a letter sent to Jordan early Wednesday, select committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said, “We understand that you had at least one and possibly multiple communications with President Trump on January 6th. We would like to discuss each such communication with you in detail.”
Jordan has given unclear answers about when, and how many times, he spoke with Trump on the day of the riot.
“Of course I talked to the president” on Jan. 6, Jordan told the House Rules Committee in October. “I talked to him that day. I’ve been clear about that. I don’t recall the number of times, but it’s not about me. I know you want to make it about that.”
The rules panel had questioned Jordan after he argued that Congress should not hold Trump ally Steve Bannon in contempt for defying a subpoena issued by the Jan. 6 select committee. The House later found Bannon in contempt and referred him to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution. He was indicted on two counts of criminal contempt, and has pleaded not guilty.
The House later held Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress for his refusal to sit for a deposition in accordance with a subpoena from the select panel. Meadows has sued the committee to invalidate the subpoena.
After Perry declared he would not comply with the Jan. 6 probe, a spokesperson said the select committee will pursue the information they seek “using other tools.”
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