Several House Republicans opposed to voting for Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan to become Speaker are personally and publicly blasting what they allege are his “tactics” of “threats and intimidation” against them. Jordan has lost two rounds of votes, and appears to be losing rather than gaining supporters.
It’s been 15 days since Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) was able to corral seven other House Republicans and oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with no plan to replace him. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise failed to garner enough votes to become Speaker last week. Now after two failed attempts, Chairman Jordan is insisting on a third round. Insiders say the Ohio Republican is likely to lose even more votes if he does.
Jordan has now “set a modern record: lowest vote tally for majority’s nominee to be speaker,” observes the Washington Post’s Paul Kane. “Just 199 Republicans voted for him on second ballot.”
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“No majority nominee has received less than 200 votes in a really long time,” he adds.
As NBC News’ Scott Wong and others have reported, some Republicans suggest or even allege Jordan and his allies have been sending threatening or intimidating messages attacking members of Congress for not voting to elect Jordan as Speaker. Some say their families have also been targeted.
“Jordan backers have been sending text messages to Bacon’s wife,” Wong reported Wednesday afternoon, referring to U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE).
U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) “says in a phone call with @Jim_Jordan, he raised concerns about robocalls in his district targeting his opposition to Jordan,” Wong also reports, adding: “I told him, ‘I don’t really take well to threats.”
The Washington Post’s Jacqueline Alemany reports that U.S. Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR) said “in no uncertain terms: The opposition against Jordan is ‘profound.’ He notes that the people who are against Jordan do not want anything but are opposed to him ‘on principle.’ He also says Jordan’s ‘tactics’ have massively backfired.”
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She adds that U.S. Rep. John Rutherford (R-FL), “echoing Womack, placed the blame for the threats to him, staff, wives, etc. squarely on Jordan: ‘He’s absolutely responsible for it. And look it doesn’t work… nobody likes to have their arm twisted.'”
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), the powerful chair of the House Appropriations Committee, Wednesday afternoon after Jordan lost again, announced, “Steve Scalise is an honorable man and has earned my vote for Speaker. This was a vote of conscience and I stayed true to my principles. Intimidation and threats will not change my position.”
U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-VA) on Tuesday posted video explaining what the “minority of the majority” in the House are doing, and why she is opposed to Jim Jordan as Speaker.
Wednesday afternoon she added: “I will never regret standing up for the military and for doing what’s right for Virginia’s Second District. I was a helicopter pilot in the United States Navy…threats and intimidation tactics will not change my principles and values.”
Watch the video above or at this link.
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