Before Trump came along, Nunes was just another hack in the Republican House, a Central Valley milk-farmer from Portuguese stock cursed with a face that looks permanently astonished. After lucking his way into Congress in 2003, he’d risen to chair the House Intelligence Committee the old-fashioned way, through sycophancy. He endeared himself to future Speaker Paul Ryan by glomming on to his fever dream of demolishing the social safety net, and earned his Intelligence chairmanship by serving as an attack dog for then-Speaker John Boehner when Tea Partiers wanted to shut down the government in 2013; Nunes memorably assailed the GOP rebels as “lemmings with suicide vests.”
Matt Westerhold Editor Rolling Stone
It’s been a bad week for U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan.
"You really think he was serious about asking China to investigate the Bidens?" Jordan responded to host George Stephanopoulos on the ABC network's Sunday news program “This Week.”
Stephanopoulos asked the Ohio congressman and ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee if he thought it was appropriate President Donald Trump is inviting foreign powers to meddle in the 2020 presidential campaign and help Trump beat his opponents.
He wouldn't answer the question, Jordan said, "because I don't think that's what he did."
But that’s exactly what Trump did, talking with reporters on the White House lawn on Thursday: "China should start an investigation into the Bidens, because what happened to China is just about as bad as what happened in Ukraine."
Another "perfect conversation" from Trump, or just a funny "joke," as far as Mr. Jordan is concerned.
"Russia, if you're listening. I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. I think you will be rewarded mightily by our press."
No collusion with Moscow? No collusion? People should take presidents seriously when they make statements, despite whatever spittle Jordan is spitting out in his uniquely Jordan way. That's how it works: Presidents speak and words have meaning.
By Monday, Jordan was complaining about a “kangaroo court” in Congress, armed with an impeachment inquiry and dangerously dangerous to the president. He cancelled his scheduled appearance in Norwalk in front of the Huron County Republican Party, where local voters would have had the chance for direct clarification.
This president is in the middle of a trade war with China, a trade war that has cost Americans from the farm belt to the money belt, dearly, and he asks our enemy to investigate his political opponent? He repeats vague, excruciatingly disconnected fragments of tin-foil conspiracy theories like a chubby man in line at the Kroger reading headlines from the National Enquirer aloud.
But don’t listen to the President of the United States; don’t take him seriously, Rep. Jordan says, Trump’s such a jokester. Jordan dismisses the need for any concern, dismisses the U.S. Constitution and dismisses our intelligence. We're not supposed to listen? Chinese officials shouldn't listen? Move along. Nothing to see here.
Does anyone really believe he was oblivious when he was a wrestling coach at Ohio State University?
Two or three days behind in talking points, stumbling, Jordan looks like a bumbling fool. By Tuesday, he was responding to inquiries through a spokesman and still seemed stuck in a time warp, stuck with talking points that clearly miss the mark.
Ian Fury, Jordan’s communications director, explained why Jordan had to skip out on the Republican dinner in Norwalk.
“Congressman Jordan will not be able to attend tonight’s event because of scheduled interviews in the Democrats’ rigged impeachment process.”
Maybe the Congressman should just sit this one out.
Stu Spelling Bee 