After nearly shutting down the government and ousting their Speaker, House Republicans are blazing ahead with the worst group project of all time. What was first a race between two frontrunner candidates has now become an even more chaotic free-for-all – the House GOP dysfunction knows no bounds. Their disastrous mess of a process to choose a new Speaker has even led one reporter to create multi-column spreadsheets to keep it all straight. That’s par for the course for Corrupt Bargain Republicans though. Instead of responsibly governing and addressing the issues important to Americans, they’ve consumed themselves with petty partisan squabbles over who holds power.
Speaking of people who are more interested in their own political ends than addressing the serious issues currently facing the United States, we have House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer. Yesterday, he announced that he had raised more than one million dollars from people in all 50 states. He claimed he raised so much money because his of his evidence-free, politically motivated “investigations,” which have boosted his ability to get booked on conservative TV. Then, the Fulton County District Attorney prosecuting former President Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results told House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan to stay in his lane. The prosecutor said Jordan was either “ignorant” of the U.S. and Georgia Constitutions and codes or “abusing [his] authority” to try to obstruct a state criminal prosecution. It’s not the first time Jordan has used his authority to interfere in an investigation to protect Trump and it probably won’t be the last.
Another week of the Corrupt Bargain in charge means another week of absolute chaos and dysfunction in the U.S. House.
Corrupt Bargain Burn Book Fallout Rages On: House Republicans Have No Idea How To Find A New Speaker
Washington Post: “House Speakership Stalled As Scalise Withdraws From Race”
CNN: “Steve Scalise Drops Out Of Speaker’s Race As House GOP Faces Leadership Crisis”
New York Times: “Scalise Withdraws As Speaker Candidate, Leaving G.O.P. In Chaos”
USA Today: “Steve Scalise Withdraws From Speaker Election, Throwing House GOP Into Further Chaos”
Washington Post: “House Adjourns Without Voting On Scalise As Speaker”
The Messenger: “House GOP Chaos: Steve Scalise Struggles To Win Support For Speaker”
New York Times: “House Delays Vote On Speaker After G.O.P. Nominates Steve Scalise”
ABC News: “Republicans Nominate Steve Scalise To Be House Speaker But Struggle To Unite Quickly And Elect Him”
Roll Call: “Speaker Vote Timing Uncertain As Jordan Backers Hold Out”
BBC: “US House Paralysed As Scalise Scrambles For Votes”
Reuters: “US House In Limbo As Republican Scalise Appears Short Of Votes For Speaker”
Vanity Fair: “Ken Buck: Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan Won’t Admit Biden Won 2020 Election For Fear Of Upsetting Trump’s Base”
NANCY MACE DEMANDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY
Post and Courier: “US Rep. Nancy Mace Wears ‘Scarlet Letter’ After Facing Criticism For McCarthy Vote”
The Guardian: “Key Republican Wears Scarlet ‘A’ T-Shirt After Vote To Oust McCarthy”
CNN: “Republican’s Claim About Jim Jordan Stuns Jake Tapper”
Huffington Post: “CBS Anchor Grills Nancy Mace Over Jim Jordan Allegedly Ignoring Sexual Abuse”
Rolling Stone: “Nancy Mace Wants Jim Jordan As Speaker, Claims Ignorance About Allegations He Ignored Abuse”
Newsweek: “Nancy Mace Ridiculed For Response To Jim Jordan Allegations Question”
The Hill: “CNN’s Tapper To Nancy Mace: ‘Name One Democrat Who Trusts Jim Jordan’”
Daily Beast: “Jake Tapper Isn’t Buying Nancy Mace’s Claim That Dems ‘Trust’ Jim Jordan”
Huffington Post: “Rep. Nancy Mace Claims Democrats Trust Jim Jordan, But Jake Tapper Is Not Convinced”
The Guardian: “‘The Jim Jordan From Ohio?’ CNN Host Incredulous As Nancy Mace Claims Democrats Trust Hardliner”
FORMER OHIO STATE WRESTLERS SPOKE OUT AGAINST JIM JORDAN’S BID FOR HOUSE SPEAKER
NBC News: “Former Ohio State University Wrestlers Say Jim Jordan Betrayed Them And Shouldn’t Be House Speaker”
- Four Former Ohio State University Wrestlers Who Accused Jim Jordan Of Failing To Protect Them From A Sexual Predator When He Was The Team’s Assistant Coach Said He Has No Business Being The Next House Speaker. “Four of the former Ohio State University wrestlers who have accused Rep. Jim Jordan of failing to protect them from a sexual predator when he was the team’s assistant coach in the 1980s and ’90s said Tuesday he has no business being the next speaker of the House. ‘Do you really want a guy in that job who chose not to stand up for his guys?’ said former OSU wrestler Mike Schyck, one of the hundreds of former athletes and students who say they were sexually abused by school doctor Richard Strauss and have sued the university. ‘Is that the kind of character trait you want for a House speaker?’” [NBC News, 10/10/23]
- Former OSU Wrestler Mike Schyck On Jim Jordan: “Do You Really Want A Guy In That Job Who Chose Not To Stand Up For His Guys? […] Is That The Kind Of Character Trait You Want For A House Speaker?” “Four of the former Ohio State University wrestlers who have accused Rep. Jim Jordan of failing to protect them from a sexual predator when he was the team’s assistant coach in the 1980s and ’90s said Tuesday he has no business being the next speaker of the House. ‘Do you really want a guy in that job who chose not to stand up for his guys?’ said former OSU wrestler Mike Schyck, one of the hundreds of former athletes and students who say they were sexually abused by school doctor Richard Strauss and have sued the university. ‘Is that the kind of character trait you want for a House speaker?’” [NBC News, 10/10/23]
- Former OSU Wrestler Dunyasha Yetts On Jim Jordan: “He Doesn’t Deserve To Be House Speaker…He Still Has To Answer For What Happened To Us.” “Dunyasha Yetts, another former OSU wrestler who has publicly and repeatedly accused Jordan of lying about not knowing what Strauss was doing to the athletes, said the congressman’s ‘hypocrisy is unbelievable.’ ‘He doesn’t deserve to be House speaker,’ Yetts said. ‘He still has to answer for what happened to us.’” [NBC News, 10/10/23]
- Former OSU Wrestler Rocky Ratliff Accused Jim Jordan Of Having “Abandoned His Former Wrestlers In The Ohio State Sexual Abuse Scandal And Cover-Up.” “Rocky Ratliff, a former OSU wrestler and alleged Strauss victim who is also a lawyer representing some of the plaintiffs suing the school, said Jordan ‘abandoned his former wrestlers in the Ohio State sexual abuse scandal and cover-up.’” [NBC News, 10/10/23]
Instead Of Focusing Pressing Issues Facing The U.S., James Comer Touted How Much Campaign Cash He’d Raised And His Partisan Political Stunts
House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer Announced That He Raised $1.1 Million In The Third Quarter Of 2023. “House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) raised over $1.1 million last quarter, raking in donations from all 50 states as his national profile has grown through his investigations into President Joe Biden and his family. According to campaign finance numbers provided to the Washington Examiner, Comer raised a total of $1.13 million last quarter, with 85% of his fundraising totals coming from more than 33,200 small-dollar donations of $250 or less.” [Washington Examiner, 10/12/23]
Washington Examiner Reported That Comer Had Boosted His National Profile As Chairman Of The House Oversight Committee And Had Been Asked To Fundraise More For His House Colleagues. “His position as chairman of the Oversight Committee has led to a number of national television hits, making him a more known figure nationally. Because of this, Comer has been asked to travel to his colleagues’ districts to headline fundraisers and events, playing a role in his increased fundraising numbers.” [Washington Examiner, 10/12/23]
- While Touting 2023 Third Quarter Campaign Fundraising Numbers, James Comer Highlighted His “Investigations” In Congress. “I am so thankful 🙏 to everyone all across America 🇺🇸 who supported my efforts to investigate public corruption at the highest levels last quarter. 33,200 Individual small dollar donors from all 50 states sends a strong message that Americans support credible Oversight.” [Twitter, James Comer, 10/12/23]
State Prosecutor Told House Judiciary Committee Chair To Stay In His Lane
The Hill: “Fani Willis Accuses Jim Jordan Of ‘Abusing’ His Authority On Trump’s Georgia Trial”
- Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis Accused Rep. Jim Jordan Of Either Being “Ignorant” Or “Abusing [His] Authority” To Try To Obstruct A State Criminal Prosecution. “Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) penned another fiery letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), again rebuffing his request for information about her prosecution of former President Trump and others involved in trying to block President Biden’s electoral victory in Georgia. ‘A charitable explanation of your correspondence is that you are ignorant of the United States and Georgia Constitutions and codes,’ she wrote in response to a late September letter from Jordan asserting she must answer questions about the investigation. ‘A more troubling explanation is that you are abusing your authority as Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary to attempt to obstruct and interfere with a Georgia criminal prosecution.’” [The Hill, 10/11/23]
CNN: “Fulton County DA Rebuffs Jim Jordan’s Request For Information On Her Investigation Of Trump”
Huffington Post: “Fani Willis Blasts Jim Jordan, Again, For Wading Into Trump Case”
MSNBC: “Fani Willis Targets Jim Jordan’s Apparent ‘Ignorance’ In New Letter”
Daily Beast: “Fulton County DA Tears Into Jim Jordan Over Trump Probe”
Salon: “‘You Are Ignorant’: Fani Willis Accuses Jim Jordan Of ‘Abusing Your Authority’ In Scorching Letter”