Congressman Eric Swalwell joined Jonathan Capehart to discuss revelations about Jim Jordan's possible/probably/definite calls on January 6th with The Former Guy. One of the most interesting questions lingering, and one that is definitely haunting Jim Jordan right now, is whether he will be called as a witness, like when Hillary Clinton was called in front of the Benghazi Committee — and testified for a marathon 11 hours. Can Qevin or Jordan make it even 11 minutes? Or will they just plead the 5th and refuse to testify at all?
(bananas clip of a stuttering Jim "I don't own a blazer like a big boy" Jordan)
CAPEHART: Yeah, that's not the clip I thought it was. It was the hum-nah, hum-nah, hum-nah clip, when he was asked this stuff from the notes from the former acting assistant AG, saying that the president said 'leave it to me and the Republican Congressman.' But how worried should Congressman Jim Jordan be about his role, such as it was, that we know so far, on January 6th and the work of the Select Committee?
SWALWELL: Jim Jordan and Kevin McCarthy are not only witnesses to what happened at the Capitol on January 6th, they are witnesses to Donald Trump's intent and, his conduct, the decisions that he made that day. That's why Jim Jordan shouldn't be anywhere close to the dais that is investigating January 6th, but he may be close to the witness table. One question that I have, Jonathan, as Kevin McCarthy years ago, famously talked about how Benghazi was designed to tear down Hillary Clinton, well, will any of these witnesses have the courage that Hillary Clinton showed that day when she testified for 11 hours? Will we get 11 seconds of Kevin McCarthy? Will we get 11 seconds of Jim Jordan? Will we get 11 seconds of Trump, who you remember refused to testify when called to the impeachment trial.
CAPEHART: One more question to you, Congressman Swalwell. Given the news that broke yesterday about the notes and we got to see the notes of the Acting AG and Deputy Acting AG, contemporaneous notes about the president trying to overturn a free and fair election. Given your role in the second impeachment, the stories that came out yesterday, are you surprised by anything that's been reported or were you actually waiting for this particular shoe to drop?
SWALWELL: Again, I wish these witnesses had come forward, Jonathan, while we were trying to make sure Donald Trump could never run again, because he is seeking to run again and people continue to perpetuate this big lie, so we are in a situation where we could have another attack on the Capitol, and it would have been nice if we could have convinced a few more Republican Senators with the notes that are coming out now, but that is such a haunting phrase, 'leave it to me' from Donald Trump, because it was almost left to him. He tested us, and we almost as a country saw our democracy break. That's why if we don't do enough now to really make sure that we understand what happened on the 6th, who was responsible, and how we can make sure it doesn't happen again, we're going to go from being on live report to seeing democracy flatline.
Congressman Swalwell asks a really spot on question. These Republicans will probably, definitely, most likely be called as witnesses - they all either participated in the Benghazi hearings or repeatedly bashed Hillary Clinton for her supposed role in Benghazi (she had no role). Yet she sat and was grilled for over 11 hours in one day. That is just an mind-boggling amount of time to be on live TV, grilled, by a panel of angry white men.
Will these same GQPers be able to take the heat for even 11 seconds? Minutes? Ever? Or will they fold like a cheap suit (which Jim Jordan doesn't even own, because he is allergic to blazers)?
I think the likelihood is that they will all plead the 5th, and try to get out of answering anything. Or Jordan will come in and just start screaming over the panel, trying to take over the hearing until they cut his mic, duct tape his mouth shut and strap him to the chair with a spit mask on. (Dems wouldn't actually do that, but think about how glorious that would be if we did.)
