Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan may join the House Intelligence Committee, where the staunch defender of President Trump can take part in the upcoming public impeachment hearings.
Jordan, who has been a fierce critic of how the majority Democrats have so far handled impeachment proceedings, has taken a leading role in questioning impeachment witnesses in closed-door depositions. But a resolution passed last week on party lines would exclude him from the public hearings to be conducted by the Intelligence Committee.
Now discussions about temporarily shifting Jordan over to the intelligence panel are “serious and ongoing,” a senior Republican told CBS News.
Rep. Mark Meadows said Jordan “would be a good addition to augment the HPSCI team.” But if the plan does not pan out, the North Carolina Republican added, “There is no doubt that they are very capable should his addition not be plausible.”
The decision will be up to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. If Jordan is placed on the intelligence panel, another GOP member will have to be moved out to make room.
Representatives for Jordan and McCarthy did not immediately return requests for comment.
Jordan, who is the top Republican on the Oversight Committee, said the decision to cut his panel from the public hearings was part of an effort by Democrats to shape the narrative against the president.
“It’s not like we didn’t expect it,” Jordan said last week. “I think it’s wrong. Intelligence is one of the smallest committees in the Congress.”
Jordan’s chief investigative counsel on the House Oversight Committee, Steve Castor, has led the Republican line of questioning of witnesses in closed-door depositions so far.
During a Fox News interview on Sunday, Jordan called the impeachment process a “sham,” noting how House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff will receive a disproportionate amount of time to question witnesses and Republicans can invite witnesses but need Schiff’s approval.
