Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has suddenly remembered another phone call — or more — that he had with then-President Donald Trump while insurrectionists rampaged through the Capitol on January 6, Politico reported Sunday.
Some observers speculated that the Ohio congressman may be trying to get his story straight if he’s called to testify before the House Select Committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 — including looking into activities by Trump and GOP lawmakers. The committee revealed just days ago that it would seek phone records and other communications as part of its probe.
Last month, Jordan indicated he had a single phone conversation with Trump on Jan. 6 but was fuzzy on the details. He couldn’t remember if he talked to the president before, during, or after the Capitol riot and apparently couldn’t recall specifically what was said.
“I spoke with him that day, after? I think after?” Jordan told a Spectrum News reporter. He also told Fox News he had a phone conversation with Trump on Jan. 6 but changed the subject when asked what was discussed.
Now, he has admitted to Politico: “Look, I definitely spoke to the president that day.I know it was more than once. I just don’t recall the times.”
A source told Politico that Jordan and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) both got on a phone call to Trump at one point while when they were hunkered down in a secret safe room during the Capitol attack. They pleaded with Trump to tell his supporters to “stand down,” Politico reported, citing the source, who declined to reveal how Trump responded.
When asked if Gaetz joined him in a call to Trump that day, Jordan told Politico that he’d “have to think about it.”
Jordan later noted that he was “sure” one of the Trump calls occurred in the safe room “because we were in that room forever.”
He said he wouldn’t detail what was discussed, other than to claim that, like everyone else, he wanted the National Guard to get involved.
Gaetz’s office told Politico he would not discuss any phone conversations with Trump.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in June named five Republicans to sit on the Jan. 6 committee. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rejected two of them — Jordan and Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana — suggesting they had made false statements regarding what occurred on Jan. 6, while also taking concerning actions that made them less-than-credible participants.
Both men had voted to overturn the results of the presidential election. In Jordan’s case, it would have been awkward for a committee member to also be called as a witness.
McCarthy subsequently yanked all five of his picks, and Pelosi named Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyoming) and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.). to serve on the investigation committee.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
