A NEWSLETTER FROM DAVID CORN

The Threat to Democracy within the US House

By David Corn October 14, 2023

Rep. Jim Jordan at the US Capitol on October 12. Mark Schiefelbein/AP

Can you imagine a coup plotter who tried to overthrow the constitutional order of the United States becoming second in the line of presidential succession?

Well, we came close. And, as I write this newsletter, we may be close once again.

I am talking about Rep. Jim Jordan, the combative, election-denying, Donald Trump–loving, conspiracy theory–pushing, ultra-conservative Republican from Ohio, who has been credibly accused of ignoring the rampant sexual abuse of the team doctor when he was an assistant wrestling couch at Ohio State University. In the race to replace ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Jordan lost a vote on Thursday within the House GOP caucus to Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the House majority leader, 113 to 99. Phew. As extreme as the House Republicans are, they didn’t swing behind Jordan. But after Scalise failed to nail down the 217 Republican votes he needed to succeed on the House floor, he dropped out of the race. Jordan was back in the hunt. On Friday afternoon, he won a vote against long-shot and lesser-known Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) on an unimpressive 124-81 tally. Jordan then chose not to take the matter to the House floor—a sign he did not have enough Republicans on his side to win. Lather, rinse, repeat—chaos continued. Further deliberations (and screaming matches) were pushed into the coming week.

Jordan is not an outlier in the House GOP cosmos. His pugilistic advocacy of phony Trump narratives—the 2020 election was rigged; there was no Russian attack on the 2016 election; Trump did nothing wrong when he pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to dig up dirt on Joe Biden; the current prosecutions of Trump are Deep State plots—is in sync with the positions expressed by most House Republicans. Yet in one area, Jordan has distinguished himself: He was one of the small number of House GOP members who actively schemed with Trump to overturn the results of the last presidential election.

My colleague Dan Friedman and I recently chronicled Jordan’s skullduggery in Mother Jones. Here’s an excerpt:

* * *

Jordan was an early and enthusiastic recruit in Trump’s war on the republic and reality—in public and in private.

Days after the November election, he spoke at a “Stop the Steal” rally in front of the Pennsylvania state Capitol. He spread election conspiracy theories within right-wing media. He endorsed Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell’s bogus claims that Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic had robbed Trump of electoral victory. He called for a congressional investigation of electoral fraud for which there was no evidence and demanded a special counsel be appointed. He endorsed state legislatures canceling vote tallies and selecting their own presidential electors. He urged Trump not to concede. He demanded Congress not certify Joe Biden’s victory in the ceremony scheduled for January 6, 2021.

Behind the scenes, he schemed with Trump. The final report of the House select committee on January 6 lays out in damning detail Jordan’s participation in Trump’s election-thwarting machinations. “Representative Jordan was a significant player in President Trump’s efforts,” the committee said. “He participated in numerous post-election meetings in which senior White House officials, Rudolph Giuliani, and others, discussed strategies for challenging the election, chief among them claims that the election had been tainted by fraud.”

As early as November, Jordan was “involved in discussions with White House officials about Vice President Pence’s role on January 6th,” the report noted—conversations that focused on whether Pence could block the certification of Biden’s win. Jordan was one of 10 Republican members of Congress who attended a White House meeting on December 21 where the topic was how to pressure Pence to undo the election.

What understanding, if any, did Trump have with Jordan? The January 6 committee did not find out. And Jordan has never fully explained his role in Trump’s scheming, let alone apologized. He refused to cooperate with the House January 6 committee’s investigation...But the committee did uncover evidence that Jordan was hatching some plan with Trump to mount a coup.

On December 27, 2020, the defeated president held a phone call with Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue. Trump insisted that there had been widespread fraud in the election and raised numerous allegations that had been debunked. Rosen and Donoghue repeatedly told Trump there was no evidence of significant wrongdoing. Trump pushed the pair to publicly state that this had been an “illegal” election. He cited three Republican politicians who were supporting his claim of a stolen election: Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Doug Mastriano, a Pennsylvania state senator, and Jordan, whom he praised as a “fighter.”

When Rosen said to Trump that the Justice Department couldn’t “snap its fingers and change the outcome of the election,” Trump responded, “I don’t expect you to do that. Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the Republican Congressmen.” Trump did not explain what he meant or what the GOP House members—presumably including Jordan—intended to do if the Justice Department falsely declared the election fraudulent. Rosen and Donoghue refused to issue such a statement.

On January 2, 2021, Jordan led a conference call in which he, Trump, and other members of Congress discussed strategies for delaying the January 6 joint session of Congress, where the election results would be certified. “During that call,” according to the January 6 committee, “the group also discussed issuing social media posts encouraging President Trump’s supporters to ‘march to the Capitol’ on the 6th. An hour and a half later, President Trump and Representative Jordan spoke by phone for 18 minutes.” It is not publicly known what the two discussed.

Three days later, Jordan texted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to pass along advice that Pence should “call out all the electoral votes that he believes are unconstitutional as no electoral votes at all.”

On January 6—a day of violent chaos and insurrection—Jordan spoke with Trump by phone at least twice. As the committee noted, Jordan “has provided inconsistent public statements about how many times they spoke and what they discussed.” That day Jordan also received five calls from Giuliani, and the two connected at least twice in the evening, as Giuliani was attempting to encourage members of Congress to continue objecting to Biden’s electoral votes. In the days after January 6, Jordan spoke with Trump White House staff about the prospect of presidential pardons for members of Congress.

* * *

Jordan was in the thick of it, assisting Trump’s attempt to steal an election. Worse, he has declined to share with the public what he knows about this effort and the insurrectionist attack on the Capitol. He refused to cooperate with the House committee that investigated January 6 and defied its subpoena.

There is so much craziness and irrationality within the GOP world these days. A fellow who talks like Hitler and who faces criminal charges in four cases remains the dominant frontrunner in its presidential sweepstakes. But the fact that Jordan, who plotted to sabotage American democracy so Trump could illegitimately retain power, could be endorsed for the third highest office in the land by 124 lawmakers who swore an oath to defend the Constitution is frightening. (Actually, Jordan won a second vote—asking the House Republicans if they would vote for him on the floor—with 152 GOP lawmakers on his side, a lot fewer than he needs to triumph.) It will be even more horrifying if he manages to win this spot.

Jordan is a Trump mini-me. He provided cover to Putin’s successful assault on an American election. He is leading the GOP’s bogus impeachment crusade against Biden. He is a vainglorious demagogue who schemed to subvert the republic. According to a House Republican colleague, during a meeting with Scalise on Thursday, Jordan proclaimed, “America wants me.” If he believes that, he is deranged. Yet whatever happens in the chaotic contest for speaker, Jordan will remain an influential member of the House Republican leadership. Nothing signifies more that our democracy is broken—and can break further.

Got anything to say about this item—or anything else? Email me at ourland@motherjones.com.

From Santos Scoop to Indictment

One week ago in this newsletter, I wrote about big scoops my colleague Noah Lanard and I scored earlier this year regarding disgraced fabulist George Santos, and how they had become a key part of the criminal case that led to his former campaign treasurer pleading guilty to violating federal campaign finance law. This week those scoops caught up to Santos himself. Lanard and I had exposed a fake-donor scheme that Santos cooked up to falsely inflate his campaign’s fundraising totals. Yes, the serial liar who had phonied up his résumé and his personal biography had also rigged his campaign finance reports, which is a felony. Not such a shock, right? On Tuesday, federal prosecutors added 10 new counts to Santos’ existing indictment, and the allegations included this fake-donor plot, plus identity theft and wire fraud. (Santos, the feds said, used the credit card information of his donors to transfer funds to his campaign and his personal bank account.) I had wondered why the prosecutors had not yet nailed Santos for the donor scheme that Lanard and I uncovered months ago without too much hard work. But those wheels of justice can grind slowly. You can read about this latest development here.

The Day the GOP Died

The news cycle shows no mercy. Shortly after Kevin McCarthy was booted out of the speakership, he was largely forgotten. But following the de-speakerization of McCarthy, I thought his rise and fall told an important story about the Republican Party of the past 14 years—and I wrote a piece chronicling this saga. We can even pinpoint the moment this tale began: Tax Day in 2009, when McCarthy brought Rep. John Boehner, then the GOP House leader, to a tea party rally in his hometown of Bakersfield, California. Though this embryonic political force was full of far-right radicals, racists, and conspiracy-mongers, Boehner and McCarthy immediately realized that they could bring this movement, driven by grievance, resentment, and paranoia, into the GOP and boost their effort to gain control of the House. Long story short: It worked. But the monster they helped create ended up destroying the career of each man. And that monster is still on the rampage, which is why you should read this.

Dumbass Comment of the Week

This week we asked the judges to keep the list short, given that the Mailbag was bulging with so much correspondence. They reported they could fill several issues with remarks related to the Hamas attack and the subsequent outbreak of war between Israel and the terrorist outfit. Indeed, extremist action—such as the heinous war crimes of Hamas—tends to provoke extreme reactions. And many politicians are often eager to exploit a crisis with stupid rhetoric to inflame or gain advantage. Unable to process all the idiotic comments prompted by the horrific attack, the judges did cite several deserving of scorn.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) tweeted, “Israel is facing existential threat. Any funding for Ukraine should be redirected to Israel immediately.”

This was a rather dumb take. As horrendous as the Hamas assault was, it did not threaten Israel’s existence. And the Russian invasion of Ukraine does pose an existential threat to Ukraine. Hawley is free to oppose US assistance to Ukraine, but this was a craven attempt to exploit the bloodshed in Israel to cut off aid to Ukraine and leave it at the mercy of Russia. Vladimir Putin must smile at such dishonesty.

Another Republican senator, Tim Scott of South Carolina, who happens to be running for president, posted this vacuous analysis: “Biden’s weakness invited the attack. Biden’s negotiation funded the attack. Biden admin wanted Israel to stand down after the attack. At this point, Biden is complicit.”

None of this was true. Hamas’ decision to launch this attack, long in the making, was not predicated on any action of President Biden. The GOP talking point that Biden’s recent unfreezing of $6 billion in oil revenue as part of a hostage deal with Iran has no basis and defies logic. The money, earmarked for humanitarian aid, has yet to be disbursed. So it could not have financed this operation. In fact, there’s no evidence yet that Iran backed this assault. Plus, if Iran were involved, it would presumably have waited until this money was under its control. And the Biden administration has not called for Israel to stand down. It has supported the Netanyahu administration as Israel launched a brutal counterstrike that has turned portions of Gaza into rubble. Three lies in one tweet for Scott.

Charlie Kirk, the head of the Trump-loving Turning Point USA, huffed, “What Hamas did to Israel is being watched closely by BLM race arsonists in America.”

This was race-baiting fearmongering. Was Kirk suggesting that Black Lives Matter activists are contemplating massacres of civilians? That is sick.

But Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) won an awful week for her stunt. She appeared on Capitol Hill wearing a tight white T-shirt emblazoned with a big capital “A.” She explained, “I’m wearing the scarlet letter after the week that I just had last week being a woman up here and being demonized for my vote and for my voice.”

Mace, once regarded as a mainstream Republican, was referencing her vote to bounce McCarthy from the speakership—a move that signaled her shift into the GOP’s chaos caucus. (Mace’s congressional district was recently redrawn and became much more MAGA-ish.) She seemed to have missed the point of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, the 1850 novel set in the Puritan colony in Massachusetts in which Hester Prynne is forced to wear a bright red A for having engaged in an extramarital affair that yielded a child. That was hardly an act of political messaging.

At first, I thought that Mace had decided to compete with Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, and Matt Gaetz for ringmaster of the Republican circus. Then I realized that she was probably performing for an audience of one. Mar-a-Lago, are you paying attention? Even though Trump is aiming to be elected autocrat, he will still need a running mate. Mace might have hit on an all-too-obvious way to earn his notice.

The Mailbag

Regular readers probably know that the Department of Mail and Missives at Our Land, Inc. is usually a few weeks behind in processing the emails, telegrams, and messages in a bottle we receive. It’s rare that an issue includes comments and complaints about the previous offering. But the last issue, which led with a piece about the Hamas attacks and the Israeli counterstrikes, provoked perhaps the largest outpouring since this venture launched. This new war between Hamas and Israel—with millions of Palestinian civilians in Gaza now caught in between—has been a source of dismay for many, and, as could be expected, discussions of this conflict have been fraught. So we’re going to skip ahead of mail that has been in the queue and turn to those readers who wrote in this week. My apologies we could only highlight a fraction of what arrived.

Since I’m always nervous when I write about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I appreciated the fact that many subscribers agreed with my contention that it is counterproductive, if not dangerous, to shut down discussion of the larger issues at hand, even in this moment of bloodshed and tragedy.

Roger Hubregtse emailed:

David, you wrote a great article, comprehensive and unabashed in truth. You’re correct that it is a tough arena to write about, but you are to be commended for sorting out the facts and the truth. Thanks for serving humanity. Carry on.

Linda James seconded that sentiment:

I have been searching for a balanced and rational account of what happened. I so appreciate your discussion.

Steven Friedman wrote:

I appreciated your thoughts on the Hamas-Israel war that you posted today. I am Jewish and teach social studies at a private Jewish school. The cousin of a colleague was murdered by Hamas at the music festival. A few of my Israeli colleagues have loved ones in Israel in the army or in bomb shelters. I am also fully aware of Israel's horrific treatment of the Palestinians as noted by Levy and Hass [the Haaretz columnists quoted in Our Land]. I support Israel's right to exist and abhor her policies in the territories. I feel sad and worried and confused.

Peter Lautz shared these thoughts:

My opinion which is admittedly not fully informed nor expert: Years of the United States essentially turning a blind eye to Israeli settlement expansion and their occupation of 2.2 million people in Gaza for decades has enabled Israel’s stance and this ongoing injustice towards Palestinians. Of course, Israel needs to be secure in its existence as do Palestinians. But our more-or-less one-sided support of Israel contributes to the horror now on full display. Hence, the empowerment of resistance by Hamas and others and their inhumane, extreme aggression now back towards Israel. No peace without a truly just resolution of the complex context here.

Watch our mainstream coverage of this current war—there’ll be little or no real discussion of the historical underpinnings of the conflict. And, sadly, President Biden has shown no willingness to urge Israel to restrain their likely wholesale military response that will kill and traumatize thousands in Gaza.

I have seen some coverage on cable news and in major newspapers that allude to context and root causes of this current crisis. But it often is overpowered by the calls for blanket support of Israel, as it wages massive bombing raids on Gaza that kill civilians. The vileness of the Hamas attack, which is still sinking in, has made it tougher to include a wider perspective in the ongoing discussion. Biden has not publicly addressed the nuances so far. In his private communications with Israel he might be counseling some restraint. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French President Emmanuel Macron have done so—to a degree. Macron called for a “strong and fair” response, noting “preserving civilian populations is the duty of democracies.” At a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken said that while “Israel has the right to defend itself… how Israel does this matters.” But it is hard to view the images coming out of Gaza and conclude this is what restraint looks like. (I am writing before the launch of the expected Israeli ground assault on Gaza.)

Doug Greenberg offered this:

I have nothing brilliant to add to what you wrote about the Israel-Hamas conflict. You stated the realities so very well. I will say that I have long been heartsick that so many supposed progressives, including people in my extended family, have a blind spot when it comes to the nature of the Israeli state and its policies towards the Palestinian people. You probably know the acronym PEP, "Progressive Except Palestine." It's definitely a thing, even included as an entry in Wikipedia. Anyway, I suspect you will be at the receiving end of some harsh words by some of your subscribers because of what you wrote, but I know you are expecting this and are definitely well-equipped to put it in proper perspective.

Ned Van Valkenburgh commented:

I very much appreciated your commentary. I have been very disappointed in the coverage on the news, even the usually progressive MSNBC, all of which seems to scream about how horrendous were the actions of Hamas and almost no consideration of the suffering of the people in Gaza. It seems very necessary to review the history of the creation of Israel and the displacement of the Palestinians going all the way back to 1947 and consider all of the missed opportunities and possible ways forward.

David Bashore noted:

David, what a compelling, insightful and balanced article in your Our Land piece today. As a concerned American who shares the (apparently, naive) hope of a two-state, peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestinians, I appreciate your heartfelt perspectives. You have now replaced Tom Friedman as my favorite geopolitical writer!

I know that was meant as a compliment. But ever since Thomas Friedman cheered on the disastrous Iraq war as a crusade of vengeance—in which “American boys and girls” would go house to house from “Basra to Baghdad” saying “suck on this”—I haven’t been a fan.

Pat Hallarn voiced her concern:

Thank you, David, for your eloquent expression of the distress so many of us feel for ordinary Israelis and Palestinians. My biggest fear of the moment is Biden stressing 100% support of further destruction by giving Israel the ammunition to carry it out, no mention of empathy for the long-time daily misery for Palestinians. With the current right-wing horror show going on in Washington, they will be feeding the Israeli leadership the fuel, if they get their act together to be able to do it.

Michael Eckel wrote:

When I was active in business development, the key to successfully resolving an impasse was to develop a keen understanding of the counterparty's (or opponent's, if you will) position and objectives, so I could determine how to help the counterparty achieve most of what they wanted/needed, and still make sure I accomplished what my team wanted/needed.

What Hamas terrorists did to innocent civilians this weekend—inexcusable and inhumane—is a crime against humanity. The Palestinians forced to live in what can, at best, be described as a refugee camp is also inexcusable and inhumane. Until both sides are willing and able to see the other side as human, and worthy of being able to live their lives in peace, with self-autonomy, progress is not possible.

Yet in our current climate, it is difficult to express these desires, to recognize the opponent is human and worthy of consideration. A good friend of mine lost his great nephew (his sister's oldest grandson) at the music festival last Saturday morning. The anger is palpable, as is the immediate desire to protect Israel and Israelis. Yet, the Hamas militants were not driven to kill Israelis simply because they have mental health issues (as Republicans would have us believe is the primary cause of mass shootings in the US). Until we are able to recognize and account for each other's perspectives, it is difficult to believe a solution is possible.

Naturally, there were critiques of my essay. Sherri Yeager had this to say:

As I was reading your thoughtfully written article, I have a question about the paragraph you start with this sentence: "Without drawing any moral equivalencies, we need to clearly see the issues at hand. On MSNBC, Jonathan Greenblatt, the national director of the ADL (which does a commendable job of tracking antisemitism)....” First, while Greenblatt does a commendable job of tracking antisemitism, he also does a very uncommendable job of demonizing anyone and everyone who dares to criticize Israel or condemn Israel and Zionists for decades of expelling, displacing, humiliating, occupying, oppressing, and killing Palestinians, and doing everything possible to ensure Palestinians will never have a sovereign homeland. He is especially vicious in his condemnation of Jews who dare to break with the Zionist party line.

I also wonder why you hesitate to draw any moral equivalencies between the recent appalling barbarism of Hamas, and the ages-old barbarism of the Occupation, the suffocating misery of prison-camp Gaza, and the indiscriminate, sure-to-be genocidal bombing and ground invasion of Gaza in coming days. The tools of barbarism vary according to means. No matter the tools, barbarism is the abandonment of morality.

My point was to not equate Hamas’ attack with the Israeli blockade of Gaza in a too-facile whataboutism comparison. Each should be judged on its own.

Bob Eisenberg had a stronger criticism:

Your column about the Palestinians ignores the realities of war. Arabs invaded Israel some eight times and were defeated. Israel exists by the Israeli right of conquest. As do most countries, certainly including the USA. If Arabs do not accept the permanent existence of Israel, they are state enemies. If Arabs call for the elimination of Israel, they are state enemies. They have to be fought as enemies with the tools of diplomacy and, if that fails, war. For the sake of self-preservation if nothing else. Everything you wrote about bad treatment and dehumanization is certainly correct. Hamas and Hezbollah and Iran are different. They are declared enemies as much as the Confederacy was a declared enemy of the USA. All have to be defeated.

I suppose one issue is whether a military solution can work. Can Israel destroy Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran? At what cost? And besides that, what damage does Israel do with its own policies, such as the blockade of Gaza, its occupation of other territory, and its treatment of Palestinians?

Steven Garcia asked:

Did any Gaza citizen pick up phone and warn Israel of imminent attacks? Hard to miss the massing of forces and rockets in your neighborhood. Especially since historically any small attack was met with reprisal. You know full well when you sow the wind you reap the whirlwind. I did not vote for either Bush, but W’s axis of evil is sounding spot on. Just add the understudies to the list.

If you believe in collective guilt, you can justify a lot.

MoxieCam™

“I like playing with rocks in the water.”

“I know you do, Moxie.”

“It’s best when the water is clear and calm.”

“Of course, it is.”

Read Recent Issues of Our Land

October 11, 2023: The Hamas-Israel war—what can be discussed?; The Bear makes you care; Native Americans at the National Gallery of Art; and more.

October 7, 2023: How our George Santos scoop ended up in the criminal case; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Elon Musk); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

October 4, 2023: How media framing aids Trump’s assault on democracy; why do GOP and Trump donors like Robert F. Kennedy Jr.?; am I a redbaiter?; Crooked chronicles an actual weaponization of the Justice Department; a classic Willie Nelson tune; and more.

September 30, 2023: Trump loses a battle in his long war on reality; GOP donors look to Gov. Glenn Youngkin; comedians make a serious gun-safety video; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Marjorie Taylor Greene); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

September 27, 2023: Donald Trump, stochastic terrorist; Joan Osborne’s regrets; Invasion’s slow pace; and more.

September 23, 2023: Joe Biden and Saudi Arabia: what the heck?; a killer attack ad for abortion rights; an apology for Chile; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Rep. Victoria Spartz); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

September 19, 2023: The threat of Cornel West; Nils Lofgren sings about truth; Gus Russo deconstructs the latest JFK assassination revelation (or is it?); and more.

September 16, 2023: Can the media meet the challenge of the GOP’s bogus impeachment?; why Mitt Romney should read American Psychosis; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Tim Gurner); the Mailbag: MoxieCam™; and more.

September 12, 2023: The right-wing authoritarian threat beyond Trump (Project 2025); American Psychosis and C-SPAN; Barbie and the corporate exploitation of exploitation; the Rolling Stones’ stereotypical “Angry”; and more.

September 9, 2023: A story too immense (Rudy Giuliani and Russia)?; Dumbass Comment of the Week (Tucker Carlson); the Mailbag; MoxieCam™; and more.

Got suggestions, comments, complaints, tips related to any of the above, or anything else? Email me at ourland@motherjones.com.

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