Two things are true about the incoming Congress: The House Judiciary Committee will be ground zero in the fight over impeachment and House Republicans remain fractured.
Per a new Politico report, the House Freedom Caucus thinks they can address both at once.
Here is the pitch: Soon-to-be Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California makes Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, ranking member of Judiciary. A bulldog in committee, the cantankerous conservative Jordan hopes to rein in the impeachment ambitions of incoming Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., who is eyeing both Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and President Trump.
Meanwhile Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., the current chairman of the Freedom Caucus, is making a play to become ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Here is the problem: McCarthy can’t give Jordan the nod without passing up Reps. Doug Collins of Georgia and Steve Chabot of Ohio who are both vying for the position. He can’t get out of this situation without angering someone.
Collins and Chabot are rank-and-file guys considered loyal to the party. Jordan and Meadows are very much the opposite.
Enter Trump: The president is reportedly pushing McCarthy, who has broad latitude over the Steering Committee which makes the decision, to favor Jordan and Meadows when it comes to committee assignments. He should consider it. McCarthy knows better than most, both would be well-suited to the job. Both are excellent obstructionists.
It was the Freedom Caucus that scalped Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, then scuttled McCarthy’s succession bid, and then forced outgoing Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to make conservative concessions during the fight over Obamacare repeal. Jordan and Meadows tormented their own party to no end. Imagine what they could do the moment Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., picks up the speaker’s gavel.
This would graft the Freedom Caucus to Republican leadership. United in opposition to Democrats and in McCarthy’s debt, those conservatives wouldn’t be as likely to revolt. It’s a good deal but it comes with certain risk.
Elevating Jordan and Meadows means elevating the Freedom Caucus. Not long ago, in March 2017, Trump publicly threatened to help primary HFC members in 2018 “if they don’t get on the team and fast.” The president even accused the Freedom Caucus of working with Democrats. Once the pariahs of the party, McCarthy is now being asked to promote Jordan and Meadows to de facto GOP leadership.
Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 26, 2017
The pair would make the most of it. They understand how to make the most of a bully pulpit. They aren’t afraid of the camera. They can make cross examinations in committee go viral. The next two years would be a nonstop infomercial for why the Freedom Caucus should be in charge the next time Republicans take control of Congress.
