Who Is Jim Jordan? New Details About The U.S. Rep Who Called Michael Cohen A 'Patsy' For The Democrats
He's served as a House Rep. since 2007.
getty Who is Jim Jordan? Since this morning, the American people have tuned into the Michael Cohen testimony. But right off the bat, Rep. Jim Jordan immediately tried to postpone the hearing and criticized Cohen for lying.
Yesterday, a day before Cohen was set to testify, Jordan, along with Rep. Mark Meadows, released an op-ed in USA Today, painting Cohen as a liar. “The facts are this: When Cohen testifies, he will surely lie. He has done it before. He will do it again. No one should be afraid of the truth, but everyone should be concerned when the deck is stacked in favor of falsehood,” the piece said.
While Jordan continues to question Cohen and paint him as a liar, what do we know about Jordan’s personal life? Here are five details to know about his career and life.
1. He holds multiple degrees.
After graduating from high school, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He later earned a master’s degree from Ohio State University, and a J.D. degree from Capital University Law School.
2. He’s had a long career in politics.
Jordan has served as a U.S. Representative for Ohio’s 4th congressional district since 2007, and is currently on the House Oversight Committee as a Ranking Member. He won his seat in the U.S. House in 2006 after Mike Oxley, who served for 26 years, announced his retirement.
Before this, he was in the Ohio General Assembly and was a State Representative of the 85th Ohio House District for three terms. He won a seat in the Ohio Senate in 2000, and was Watchdog of the Treasury, Outstanding Legislator, Friend of the Taxpayer, and Pro-Life Legislator of the Year.
In 2015, he created the House Freedom Caucus, which is a “smaller, more cohesive, more agile and more active group of conservative Congressmen.” The Caucus is “sympathetic to the Tea Party movement and is considered “he furthest-right grouping within the House Republican Conference.”
3. He holds conservative political positions.
Jordan has been called “one of Congress’ most conservative members.” He votes consistently against abortion legislation, has voted against limiting carbon emissions and curtailing subsidies for oil and gas companies, has rallied against Planned Parenthood, supports ending Medicaid reimbursement to the organization.
He has also been outspoken about Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, questioning Mueller’s “impartiality.” He tried to impeach Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein, and spoke out against the 2013 government shutdown to further changes to the ACA.
4. He was involved in a sexual abuse scandal.
Jordan was a wrestling champion in the NCAA Division I, and defeated John Smith, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, in 1985. But he found himself as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse in Ohio State University.
While serving as assistant wrestling coach from 1987 to 1995, he was accused of being aware of these allegations by the wrestling team’s physician, Richard Strauss, but did nothing about it. Jordan has denied knowing anything about the alleged abuse.
5. He’s married.
Jordan is married to Polly Jordan, whom he married in 1985, and together they have four children: Rachel, Ben, Jessie, and Isaac. The couple are high school sweethearts and were introduced through Polly’s brothers.
Samantha Maffucci is an associate editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces. In her free time, you can find her obsessing about cats, wine, and all things Vanderpump Rules.