House Freedom Caucus co-founder Jim Jordan hasn’t made up his mind whether to push to become the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, and his chances for winning that spot may be quickly slipping away.
President Trump has been pushing Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who will lead the Republicans as minority leader next year, to get Jordan on the committee. Trump is reportedly keen on getting Jordan to that committee, as he’s a staunch ally of Trump’s who would fight Democrats on the committee — Trump often calls Jordan a “warrior” during appearances on Fox News.
But Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., is seen as a near lock for the position, and Jordan hasn’t made any move to contest the position.
“We still haven’t made the decisions to pull the trigger on it. I think that Collins had sort of been the leadership-tapped [candidate] and the question is how much does the president’s wants come into play,” a source close to Jordan’s thinking told the Washington Examiner. “We think he [McCarthy] will probably want to do what he can to keep it that way. It would be an uphill battle, but it’s not out of the realm. All of that stuff sort of happens the week after Thanksgiving. I would anticipate that ball starting to roll soon.”
The source acknowledged that Jordan isn’t the favorite, but said it’s still possible he could try to go for it.
Letting Jordan lead it could make Trump more comfortable given that the committee is expected to launch major investigations into the Trump administration once it’s ruled by Democrats. But most see Collins as the shoo-in.
“Collins is the favorite to win. He is well-liked in the conference and has a track record of getting big things done that have previously languished,” a GOP aide told the Washington Examiner.
Trump’s lobbying effort was seen as a way to overcome the strained relationship between McCarthy and Jordan. Jordan challenged McCarthy unsuccessfully to lead House Republicans in the new Congress and has blamed GOP leadership for losing the majority in the House.
Jordan is also next in line to lead the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for Republicans, which is another committee that will likely be investigating the Trump administration next year.
