Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan claps back at Biden’s democracy speech
(NewsNation) — Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan took offense to remarks made by President Joe Biden on Wednesday night in which Biden blasted the Republican Party for stoking political violence.
In a speech delivered during a Democratic town hall just one week before November’s crucial midterm elections, Biden called out Republicans for engaging in toxic political rhetoric he said led to the attack on Nancy Pelosi’s husband at their San Francisco home and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Biden never mentioned former President Donald Trump by name, but throughout the speech tied Republicans to the man who tried to usurp the results of the 2020 election.
“This is also the first election since the events of Jan. 6 when an armed, angry mob stormed the U.S. Capitol,” Biden said. “I wish I could say the assault on democracy ended that day, but I cannot. As I stand here today, there are candidates running for every level of office in America, governor, Congress, secretary of state, attorney general, who won’t commit to accepting the results of elections that they’re running in.”
Jordan, one of Biden’s most outspoken critics, accused Democrats of doing all the same things Biden said Republicans do.
Jordan compared the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection and the attack on Paul Pelosi to the protests and riots that happened in the wake of George Floyd being murdered at the hands of Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin.
“We condemned it on Jan. 6, we condemned it when it took place in the summer of 2020 and we certainly condemned it when it happened this weekend to Paul Pelosi and we wish his family, wish him luck and recovery and we’re praying for him,” Jordan said.
Added Jordan: “It’d have been nice if Democrats would have done the same darn thing, because in the summer of 2020, they didn’t. They were out supporting the riots and the looting and the destruction that was going on.”
In a Jan. 6 2020 tweet, Jordan said: “Americans support peaceful protests, First Amendment activity, and the men and women of law enforcement. What happened today is wrong and is not what America is about.”
On the other hand, Jordan joined a group of other congressional Republicans who objected in 2020 to the electoral count of Arizona’s ballots on the House floor.
Jordan was actually praised by Trump for being a “strong Republican” in 2020 when Trump was pressing his false claim he had won the 2020 election.
“For years, Democrats have gotten away with election fraud,” Trump said in 2020. “There’s so many weak Republicans. And we have great ones. Jim Jordan and some of these guys, they are out there fighting. The House guys are fighting, but it’s — it’s incredible. … The weak Republicans. They’re pathetic Republicans, and that’s what happens.”
“President Trump got 11 million more votes than he did in 2016, and House Republicans won 27 of 27 toss-up races,” Jordan said at the time. “But somehow, the guy who never left his house wins the election? Eighty million Americans, 80 million of our fellow citizens, Republicans and Democrats, have doubts about this election; and 60 million people, 60 million Americans think it was stolen.”