Pelosi Suggests Jordan Only Wants To Impeach Rosenstein To Deflect From Alleged Ohio State Scandal

pelosi jim jordan speaker

Julia Cohen on July 26, 2018

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi suggested Thursday that Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan only wants to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein “to take attention away from the scrutiny he is under in Ohio.”

“Well I don’t know, but what I’ve heard is that Jim Jordan just wants to take attention away from the scrutiny that he is under in Ohio, that could be part of it,” Pelosi said in a Thursday press conference when asked about the motivation for Jordan’s articles of impeachment against Rosenstein.

The fact that truth and fact and data and evidence have never been something that the Republicans have sought or based their decision making on,” Pelosi said. “They would want to hurt Rosenstein so that they could hurt the Mueller investigation, but hopefully saner minds will prevail on the Republican side … we welcome their voting on undermining their democracy.”

Jordan filed a resolution to impeach Rosenstein with North Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Meadows on Wednesday night, The Daily Caller reported.

“We can’t get answers for the American people if we can’t get information from the DOJ. It’s time to impeach Rod Rosenstein,” Jordan tweeted Wednesday.

Jordan has been a critic of Rosenstein far before former Ohio State wrestlers accused him in early July of allegedly turning a blind eye to sexual abuse when he was a wrestling coach at the university.

“Rod Rosenstein threatened congressional staff. When the bully picks on your little brother, you have to respond. It’s time for House Leadership to stand up,” Jordan tweeted in June.

Rosenstein came under scrutiny from Jordan and other Republican officials for refusing to hand over documents related to the FBI’s email investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and probes into President Donald Trump’s campaign and its possible ties to Russia.

“I’ve been extremely disappointed,” Jordan told TheDC in April. “My concern is that Jeff Sessions and Rod Rosenstein aren’t willing to do what everyone knows needs to be done.”

The two former Ohio State wrestlers leading the charge accusing Jordan of ignoring sexual abuse of athletes have dubious pasts, The Daily Caller News Foundation reported.

“Two former Ohio State University wrestlers accusing Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan of ignoring sexual misconduct by a university physician more than two decades ago have a history of failed business dealings, lawsuits, harassment allegations, and in the case of one accuser, an 18 month prison sentence for fraud,” TheDCNF report stated.

Multiple coaches who worked with Jordan have also countered the former athletes’ claims, TheDCNF reported. “What has been said about Jim Jordan is absolutely wrong,” a joint statement from former Ohio State coaches reads. “If we had heard of any abuse, we would have spoken up.”

House Speaker Paul Ryan said that he opposes impeaching Rosenstein on Thursday morning, making it unlikely the impeachment resolution will go through.

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DCwire features investigative reporting syndicated with permission from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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