Jim Jordan tries to win over GOP to become next House speaker – live

Rep Jim Jordan now faces the challenge of trying to win over members of the Republican party so that he can secure enough votes to become the next speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Ohio congressman won the GOP nomination on Friday afternoon, beating challenger Rep Austin Scott by 124 votes to 81. Mr Scott is reported to not actually want to be speaker, with observers saying the vote for him indicates the significant part of the party which would be uncomfortable with Mr Jordan as speaker.

Mr Jordan is facing an uphill climb to secure the 217 votes needed by Tuesday when the House is expected to bring a vote to the floor at noon.

He spent the weekend trying to win over support and is said to be confident that he can get to the necessary votes to take the gavel. But, one House Republican told CBS News on Sunday that 10 to 20 members are still refusing to back him.

The ongoing saga comes after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role two weeks ago. Then, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) was nominated for the role last week before quitting.

Key Points

• GOP holdouts say Jordan gave assurances on aid to Israel and Ukraine, report says

• ‘Moderates always cave. A tale as old as time'

• McCarthy predicts Jim Jordan will get enough votes to win speakership

• Jordan looking more likely to be able to secure the votes to become speaker

• Jordan says vote will happen Tuesday at noon

Jordan says vote will happen Tuesday at noon

05:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Rep Jim Jordan told CNN that he’s planning to go to the floor of the House for a speaker vote tomorrow at 12pm ET, regardless if he has the votes he needs or not.

Mr Jordan said previously that he didn’t want to go to the floor before securing the support of 217 Republicans.

“We’ll go the floor tomorrow,” he told Manu Raju.

“That’s how our great system works. And we will go to the floor tomorrow. It’s not about pressuring anybody just about we got to have a speaker. You can’t open the House and do the work of the American people and help our dearest and closest friend Israel,” he added.

“We set it for 12pm. I feel good about it,” he said.

When Mr Jordan was asked if he would move on to a second vote if he fails on the first, he simply said: “We are going to elect a speaker tomorrow.”

“If you don’t have a speaker, so we get a speaker, we get the House open and we get to work on the resolution and supplemental for Israel,” he told the network. “And we get back to work for the American people. That’s what I’ve committed to doing.”

When asked about his earlier comments on only going to the floor after having secured 217 votes, Mr Jordan said, “I do think that’s, that’s ideal, but … I don’t know if there’s any way to ever get that in the room. I would love that. But I think the only way to do this is the way the Founders intended”.

While Mr Jordan and his allies have shrunk the number of members set to vote against him, he remains below the threshold of 217 votes.

Jordan seemed to enjoy being close to leadership to amass power

04:00 , Eric Garcia

As a right-wing provocateur, Jim Jordan has spent more time opposing spending bills, famously teaming up with Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) and other conservatives to shut down the government to try and defund Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law, despite the fact Mr Obama was still president. Indeed, when he was offered an opportunity to become a member of the prestigious House Appropriations Committee when Republicans took control in 2011, he passed and chose instead to become Republican Study Committee chairman.

All of these choices will come back to haunt him. They already have. Mr McCarthy, fearful that Mr Jordan would mete out the same medicine he gave to Mr Ryan and Mr Boehner, chose to keep Mr Jordan close to his side. Mr Jordan seemed to enjoy being close to leadership to amass power.

But in January, despite Mr Jordan supporting Mr McCarthy, Mr Gaetz emerged as a further-right bomb-thrower who nominated Mr Jordan, which took the House to 15 rounds to pick a speaker.

Now, rather than having a unified Republican conference, Mr Jordan’s influence showed that any Republican could raise objections and gum up the House to get attention, even if they do not have specific demands. This will be unlikely to change even if he wins the speakership. And if he falls, it will be on the sword he laid down.

Jim Jordan never needed to ‘grow up'

03:15 , Eric Garcia

Many Republicans come to Washington as bomb-throwers who later mature, learn how to govern and advance conservative goals. John Boehner went from being an insurgent who later worked with Ted Kennedy on education, and Paul Ryan passed budgets with a Democratic Senate.

But Jim Jordan never needed to “grow up.” Rather, since he arrived in Congress in 2007, he chose to cater to right-wing media and the overwhelmingly conservative base of the Republican Party. By the time he got to Washington, the incentive structure to “grow up” no longer existed. As a child of the Tea Party, the anti-GOP establishment movement, learning how to work within the system would be antithetical to his persona.

Democrats and Republicans alike have noted how he’s never authored legislation. That would have taught him a vital skill, how to count votes, since speakers need to know how many votes they need to count votes on bills and dollars for fundraising to keep their majorities.

Four Republicans remain sceptical of Jordan

02:30 , Eric Garcia

Mr Jordan still needs to get to the magic number of 217 votes. Haley Talbot of CNN, whose spreadsheets on social media do a better job of counting votes so far than any candidate for speaker, noted that four Republicans remain sceptical of Mr Jordan and two Republicans – Florida Reps Carlos Gimenez and John Rutherford – will only back deposed speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Even if Mr Jordan somehow wins over all of his sceptics and earns enough votes to become speaker, he will largely live with the consequences of his life’s work: Allowing any single member to object to the will of congressional leadership and cause the House to descend into chaos. Similarly, his years of doing so rather than learning the mechanics of governing will likely make him ill-equipped to tame those impulses from House Republicans.

‘Freedom Caucus played chess. The rest played checkers'

01:45 , Gustaf Kilander

On Monday, Florida Democrat Jared Moskowitz piled on the criticism of GOP moderates who are reported to be about to cave and hand the speakership to Rep Jim Jordan.

“Jordan will win the speakership tomorrow. It may take multiple rounds. Moderates will cave. This was always the plan by the Freedom Caucus. It wasn’t just about removing McCarthy, but installing one of their own. Freedom Caucus played chess. The rest played checkers,” Mr Moskowitz said on X.

‘Either he gets it or the moderates for the first time ever grow a spine'

01:00 , Gustaf Kilander

On 13 October, Sahil Kapur of NBC News noted that a GOP staffer said that he was sure that Rep Jim Jordan would get the gavel.

“The people opposing him are moderates. Either he gets it or the moderates for the first time ever grow a spine,” the aide told NBC.

On Monday, Mr Kapur added: “Of note: today is World Spine Day.”

VOICES: Jim Jordan is living with the consequences of trying to burn down the House

Tuesday 17 October 2023 00:15 , Eric Garcia

The crisis of the House speakership is about to roll into its second week. On Friday, as House Republicans left Washington, it looked like Jim Jordan would struggle to win over the members of his conference. During the first vote among Republicans, more than 80 members voted against him and in the second round, 55 Republicans voted against him.

The votes revealed his weaknesses as a congressional leader. He passed on having a roll call vote rather than a secret ballot. Having a roll call vote would have told him whom he needed to call during the weekend, whom he needed to win over and what promises he needed to make his opponents to get them to yes.

The tide seems to be turning in his favor. On Monday, Rep Ann Wagner of Missouri, who had vehemently opposed Mr Jordan, said she would get behind him, saying she spoke with the Ohio Republican and “he has allayed my concerns.” Similarly, Rep Mike Rogers (R-AL), the chairman of the Armed Services Committee who many might remember for nearly fighting Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in January, threw his support behind Mr Jordan.

READ MORE:

Jim Jordan is living with the consequences of trying to burn down the House

GOP holdouts remain even as their ranks dwindle

Monday 16 October 2023 23:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Even as the tide is beginning to turn for Rep Jim Jordan and his initially uphill climb to become speaker of the House, a number of GOP members still say that he’s going to struggle to get the votes he needs – 217 – on the floor of the chamber where a vote is expected at noon on Tuesday (17 October).

Anti-Jordan members were struggling to get the ball rolling on Monday as they attempted to rally around an alternative candidate.

One House GOP member told Politico that the anti-Jordan coalition would likely be putting up Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who already attempted and failed to get the gavel, as a protest candidate instead of a real challenger.

The member said that discussions on how to block Mr Jordan were still continuing on Monday.

GOP critics of Jordan continue to cave

Monday 16 October 2023 22:45 , Gustaf Kilander

Republicans who were criticising Rep Jim Jordan on Friday, such as Reps Vern Buchanan and Ann Wagner, indicated on Monday that they would be backing his speakership bid.

Colorado Republican only member seen as unflippable by Jordan allies

Monday 16 October 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

An anonymous member of the GOP told Politico that the point of view of Rep Jim Jordan and his allies is that all of the holdouts and flippable except for Rep Ken Buck of Colorado, noting that he and Mr Jordan “have history”.

Mr Buck and Mr Jordan got into scuffles in recent years on how to push back against tech monopolies and over anti-trust legislation.

In January, Mr Jordan chose Rep Thomas Massie of Kentucky instead of Mr Buck to head the antitrust panel on the Judiciary Committee.

GOP members told Politico said they were shocked by the flipping of Rep Ann Wagner, who was a strong no on Mr Jordan as recently as Friday.

Allies of Mr Jordan posted the phone numbers of the offices of the lawmakers who remained against his bid, opening the floodgates of fury from grassroots and rightwing media.

GOP holdouts say Jordan gave assurances on aid to Israel and Ukraine, report says

Monday 16 October 2023 21:29 , Gustaf Kilander

Four House Republicans backtracked on their opposition to Rep Jim Jordan’s speaker bid after he gave them assurances on aid to Ukraine and Israel, according to Axios.

The GOP members were reportedly assured that Mr Jordan would allow a floor vote on connecting aid to Israel to aid to Ukraine if he becomes speaker.

A number of far-right Republicans are working to stop all aid to Ukraine, but a floor vote may help further aid get through the chamber with Democratic votes.

But a spokesperson for Mr Jordan rejected the notion that he had made any promises, instead telling Axios that the conversations had been about working to find the right process – not specific assurances.

Last week, Rep Matt Gaetz, whose motion to vacate Speaker Kevin McCarthy led to the recent House chaos, said, "however you feel about Israel and Ukraine, I think a responsible and reasonable government ought to address those questions separately”.

"We need a Speaker who is able to put their full efforts into defeating the communist democrats and save America. We must stop funding foreign wars – Ukraine,” Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X.

Last month, a majority of the GOP House caucus voted against further aid to Ukraine.

‘Moderates always cave. A tale as old as time'

Monday 16 October 2023 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

GOP House members close to the leadership seem increasingly sure that Rep Jim Jordan will win the speakership tomorrow, telling The Washington Post that if Mr Jordan isn’t successful on the first ballot, he’s set to win on the second.

“Moderates always cave. A tale as old as time,” one member told the paper.

Legal analyst Jeffrey Evan Gold wrote on X that “If ‘moderate’ Rs lose their seats voting party over country, there’s always another job for them. However, voting country over party is an island most pols cannot survive as pols. There are 5 Rs in over 10% Biden districts who might see enough in voting against Jordan, but...”

McCarthy says Jordan is speaking to ‘every single member' of the House Republican caucus

Monday 16 October 2023 21:00 , Ariana Baio

Rep Jim Jordan, a far-right Republican and ally of Donald Trump who represents Ohio’s 4th District, is the current frontrunner among the GOP caucus to assume the speakership.

On Friday, Republican representatives voted to nominate Mr Jordan for speaker after the number two House Republican, Steve Scalise, failed to attract enough support to become speaker.

But like Mr Scalise, Mr Jordan appears to lack the 217 votes he would need to become the next speaker with several members of his own party opposing his nomination including Representatives Carlos Gimenez, Steve Womack and Ann Wagner.

Former Speaker McCarthy has said that Mr Jordan is speaking to “every single member” of the House Republican caucus to figure out how they work together to get him elected and move forward in legislating bills.

The former speaker’s support comes after he was ousted by eight far-right members of his own party joining Democrats in removing him from his position earlier this month. The group included Florida rep Matt Gaetz who spearheaded the campaign to remove Mr McCarthy.

The latest in the chaotic speakership saga is just another reminder that infighting between House Republicans has painted the party as too divided.

Mr McCarthy seemingly brushed the idea aside by blaming Democrats as well as the eight GOP members for creating chaos.

The House may begin taking a roll call vote for speaker as early as Tuesday.

McCarthy predicts Jim Jordan will get enough votes to win speakership

Monday 16 October 2023 20:30 , Ariana Baio

Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy has full confidence that Republican Rep Jim Jordan will obtain the necessary 217 votes to assume the speakership.

Reflecting on his own experience, in which it took 15 rounds of votes in order for Mr McCarthy to become speaker of the House in January, he told Fox News programme Sunday Morning Futures that he believes Mr Jordan “can get there.”

“I’m one who understands how difficult it is,” Mr McCarthy said. “I did walk in with more support during this time but I believe at the end of the day Jim could get there and I’m doing everything I can to help him.”

For nearly two weeks, the House of Representatives has remained without a speaker, preventing the legislative body from making any progress on passing bills at a “critical time,” as described by Mr McCarthy.

Despite the grim outlook, the former speaker believes Mr Jordan’s current campaign to appeal to his colleagues will pay off.

READ MORE:

McCarthy predicts Jim Jordan will get enough votes to win speakership

Jordan looking more likely to be able to secure the votes to become speaker

Monday 16 October 2023 19:59 , Gustaf Kilander

Rep Jim Jordan is looking more and more likely to be able to get across the line and become speaker as the moderate wing of the party is reported to once again be about to cave to the far-right.

A number of holdouts, such as Reps Mike Rogers, Ken Calvert, and Anne Wagner, have now announced that following conversations with Mr Jordan, they are now set to back his bid for speaker.

This comes after forceful pressure was applied over the weekend by conservative media and grassroots.

Notably, Mr Calvert won reelection in California’s 41st district last year with 52.3 per cent of the vote and Ms Wagner is reported to have personal issues with Mr Jordan.

Rep Mike Lawler of New York represents a district won by President Joe Biden in 2020 and pushed hard for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy to be reinstated, but in a recording obtained by Politico, he can be heard telling a constituent on Sunday that he would back Mr Jordan if he had the votes.

Mr Rogers, the chair of the Armed Services Committee, and Mr Calvert, who’s on the appropriations panel, both suggested that they had gotten assurances from Mr Jordan on issues such as defence and government funding as well as the farm bill.

But funding for Ukraine in the war against Russia wasn’t mentioned, and it’s likely to be axed in a chamber headed by Mr Jordan.

Arkansas Republican says speaker deal may be made with Democrats

Monday 16 October 2023 19:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Rep Steve Womack said on Monday that “nobody in America can get 217 right now out of the Republican conference. If that becomes apparent to everybody, then at some point in time, we’re gonna have to work across the aisle”.

Speaking about if he would vote for GOP speaker nominee Rep Jim Jordan on the floor of the House on Tuesday, Mr Womack told CNN: “We’ll know when I vote, how I vote, and I will make my intentions known ... But I know there are concerns from the Appropriations Committee ... Two weeks ago, Mr Jordan ... in essence voted for a government shutdown.”

Here’s what will happen next — maybe — as Jim Jordan pushes to become House speaker

Monday 16 October 2023 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

It’s been almost two weeks since the House Republicans ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy and they have yet to elect a new leader of the chamber.

Following the failure of Majority Leader Steve Scalise to get the support needed from his own party, it’s now up to the man who came up short against Mr Scalise for the nomination – Rep Jim Jordan – to make an attempt.

The House GOP remains divided, dysfunctional and disorganised, with members telling reporters over the weekend that the pressure is mounting on holdouts to support Mr Jordan.

Mr Jordan, the chair of the Judiciary Committee, is moving towards a vote on the floor of the House on Tuesday (17 October).

Mr Jordan told CNN that he’s planning to go to the floor of the House for a speaker vote at 12pm ET on Tuesday, regardless if he has the votes he needs or not.

READ MORE:

When is the House speaker vote?

Trump bizarrely claims that Republicans ‘eat their young’

Monday 16 October 2023 18:30 , Holly Hales

Donald Trump has claimed that his fellow Republicans “eat their young” in what marks his latest bizarre comments.

The former president posted a pre-recorded video on his Truth Social platform over the weekend, where he wildly appeared to compare himself to a baby eaten by its own parents.

“The Republicans eat their young, they really do, and it’s a terrible statement but it’s true,” he said.

“And that’s the problem with so many in our party; they just don’t have the loyalty and the strength to stick together.”

In the rambling clip, Mr Trump, 77, also called fellow Republicans Utah Senator Mitt Romney and Former House Speaker Paul Ryan “losers” and “RINOs”.

READ MORE:

Trump bizarrely claims that Republicans ‘eat their young’

Ohio Republican suggests deal with Democrats may have to happen if GOP divisions continue

Monday 16 October 2023 18:00 , Graig Graziosi

Appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, Congressman Mike Turner acknowledged that Rep Jim Jordan was trying to gather enough support — 217 votes — to take the job, but acknowledged he hadn’t hit that number.

“Kevin [McCarthy], when he first came out of conference, where you’re nominated to be speaker, also did not have enough votes to be speaker — actually he didn’t have enough votes when he first got to the House floor. And then the coalition formed that elected him. Jordan is working right now to put that coalition together to get to 217,” Mr Turner said.

When asked if the GOP would look to the Democrats to help shore up enough votes to elect a Speaker, he said he would prefer if the Republicans could come to some agreement, but acknowledged that they may have to cut a deal.

“So, at this point, I would prefer there to be a Republican solution, because when [House Democrats] rejected bipartisanship, it’s kind of hard to then go back to it. But we have a lot of people on the bench. I think Jim Jordan will be an excellent speaker. I think he’ll be able to get to 217,” he said.

“If not, we have other leaders in the House. And certainly, if there is a need if the radical, you know, almost just handful of people in the Republican side, make it unable for us to return to general work on the House, then I think obviously, there will be a deal.”

Jordan says vote will happen Tuesday at noon

Monday 16 October 2023 17:29 , Gustaf Kilander

Rep Jim Jordan told CNN that he’s planning to go to the floor of the House for a speaker vote tomorrow at 12pm ET, regardless if he has the votes he needs or not.

Mr Jordan said previously that he didn’t want to go to the floor before securing the support of 217 Republicans.

“We’ll go the floor tomorrow,” he told Manu Raju.

“That’s how our great system works. And we will go to the floor tomorrow. It’s not about pressuring anybody just about we got to have a speaker. You can’t open the House and do the work of the American people and help our dearest and closest friend Israel,” he added.

“We set it for 12pm. I feel good about it,” he said.

When Mr Jordan was asked if he would move on to a second vote if he fails on the first, he simply said: “We are going to elect a speaker tomorrow.”

“If you don’t have a speaker, so we get a speaker, we get the House open and we get to work on the resolution and supplemental for Israel,” he told the network. “And we get back to work for the American people. That’s what I’ve committed to doing.”

When asked about his earlier comments on only going to the floor after having secured 217 votes, Mr Jordan said, “I do think that’s, that’s ideal, but … I don’t know if there’s any way to ever get that in the room. I would love that. But I think the only way to do this is the way the Founders intended”.

While Mr Jordan and his allies have shrunk the number of members set to vote against him, he remains below the threshold of 217 votes.

California Republican announces support for Jordan

Monday 16 October 2023 17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Rep Ken Calvert, a California Republican, announced his support for Mr Jordan on Monday, writing on X that “Keeping America safe is my top priority in Congress. After having a conversation with Jim Jordan about how we must get the House back on a path to achieve our national security and appropriations goals, I will be supporting him for Speaker on the floor. Let’s get to work”.

Republicans hint at possible deal with Democrats on House Speaker as internal fight continues

Monday 16 October 2023 16:30 , Graig Graziosi

Republican Congressman Mike Turner said House Republicans will have to seek a deal with Democrats if the fractured party cannot come to an agreement on who should replace Congressman Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker.

Nearly two weeks ago, Congressman Matt Gaetz and seven other hardline MAGA Republican lawmakers voted to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker after he brokered a deal with Democrats to keep the government running.

The move was condemned by numerous House GOP lawmakers, who complained that it projects dysfunction and an inability to govern.

House Republicans have failed thus far to coalesce behind a new speaker. Congressman Steve Scalise floated a run but withdrew his name from consideration after he failed to rally enough support to secure the position.

Congressman Jim Jordan, Donald Trump’s preferred Speaker, is also running, but will likely be opposed by some Republicans who objected to Mr McCarthy’s removal.

Appearing on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday, Congressman Mike Turner acknowledged that Mr Jordan was trying to gather enough support — 217 votes — to take the job, but acknowledged he hadn’t hit that number.

READ MORE:

Republicans hint at possible deal with Democrats on House Speaker as battle continues

If Jordan fails, who’s up?

Monday 16 October 2023 16:00 , Gustaf Kilander

If Rep Jim Jordan is unable to grasp the gavel, a number of Republicans have mentioned Louisiana Rep Mike Johnson as a possible next option. The vice chair of the Republican conference, 51, has been floated alongside Majority Whip Tom Emmer, 62, who has spent the last half-decade in the leadership, with most of his time going to chairing the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

While Mr Emmer has some backers on the right of the party, large parts of the Trump wing aren’t as supportive, Punchbowl News notes.

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy may start believing in an unlikely comeback if the speaker race doesn’t come to a resolution this week. This would require at least four of the eight members who voted against him to flip.

Many GOP members have told the press that their party is so divided that no candidate can get 217 votes from the party, meaning that votes from Democrats may be required to get over the line.

But there have been no major discussions between the parties and the Democrats would use their leverage to push for major concessions, and it’s unclear what a deal would look like.

Any member of the chamber could simply step onto the floor when the House opens and put forward a privileged resolution to strengthen and widen the powers of the temporary speaker, Rep Patrick McHenry of North Carolina. The McCarthy ally and famed gavel-slammer could also be elected as the permanent speaker.

Establishment Republicans working to block Jordan

Monday 16 October 2023 15:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Several members of the GOP establishment are working to take down Rep Jim Jordan’s speaker bid.

A number of Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee as well as the Appropriations Committee are set to vote against Mr Jordan indefinitely, Punchbowl News notes, as they are sceptical of his beliefs and record on government and defence funding.

There are reportedly about 10 Republicans who are steadfastly against a Jordan speakership, but they haven’t decided who to put forward in his place. This is enough to permanently block Mr Jordan as he can only lose four of the 221 Republicans in the chamber to reach the 217 votes he needs in the face of unified Democratic opposition.

There are whispers that GOP rightwingers might move to employ an internal resolution to get rid of the entire Republican leadership in the House. There’s also a suggestion that another internal speaker race be held, where the top candidate is nominated for speaker, the second becomes majority leader, and on it goes.

Some legislators have also indicated that choosing a speaker by House resolution on a plurality vote could be an option.

But both of these plans are unlikely to come to fruition.

Jim Jordan’s uphill battle to become speaker

Monday 16 October 2023 15:00 , Gustaf Kilander

It’s been almost two weeks since the House Republicans ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy and they have yet to elect a new leader of the chamber.

Following the failure of Majority Leader Steve Scalise to get the support needed from his own party, it’s now up to the man who came up short against Mr Scalise for the nomination – Rep Jim Jordan – to make an attempt.

The House GOP remains divided, dysfunctional, and disorganized, with members telling reporters over the weekend that the pressure is mounting on holdouts to support Mr Jordan.

Mr Jordan, the chair of the Judiciary Committee is moving towards a vote on the floor of the House on Tuesday (17 October).

The Ohio Republican won a nomination vote on Friday (13 October), receiving 124 votes against 81 for Rep Austin Scott, who put his name in for contention while noting he didn’t actually want to be speaker. Observers noted that the support for Mr Scott revealed the substantial antipathy towards Mr Jordan within the conference.

Mr McCarthy, the ex-speaker, pushed for a second vote on Mr Jordan’s nomination, during which 152 members voted yes and 55 said no.

While Mr Jordan’s team says they have minimised the number during the course of the weekend, the number of members opposed to his speakership is estimated to remain in the double digits, according to Punchbowl News.

But Republicans supporting Mr Jordan are still pushing to bring the vote to the floor as a way to put public pressure on the holdouts. Several votes may take place depending on what the opposition looks like on Tuesday. Those backing Mr Jordan have said that the backlash from the Trump wing of the GOP will be fierce against those blocking the Ohioan.

A staff member from the Hannity programme on Fox News wrote an email to holdouts asking why they’re not backing Mr Jordan, but the email is reportedly having the opposite effect, with its pressuring tone possibly pushing members away from the Judiciary chair, according to Axios.

Mr Jordan is also trying to push the House GOP towards a presidential candidate – former White House incumbent Donald Trump – in the middle of a primary with those not backing him likely supporting other candidates.

Hannity staff member pressures moderate House Republicans on why they won’t back Jordan

Monday 16 October 2023 14:30 , Gustaf Kilander

A production team member on Fox News’s Hannity team sent an email to a number of House Republicans asking why they aren’t backing Jim Jordan’s speaker bid.

Juliegrace Brufke of Axios wrote on X on Sunday night that “moderates are growing increasingly irritated with the tactics Jordan allies are using to pressure them into voting for him, with one member noting the Hannity show has gotten involved in the efforts sending potential defectors the email below. One lawmaker said the push is counterproductive to swaying Jordan skeptics”.

The Independent has reached out to Fox News and Fox Corp for comment.

Ms Brufke included a screenshot of the formula email:

Hello, Stephanie from the Hannity show with Fox News. Sources tell Hannity that Rep xxxx is not supporting Rep Jim Jordan for Speaker. Can you please let me know if this is accurate? And, if true, Hannity would like to know why during a war breaking out between Israel and Hamas, with the war in Ukraine, with the wide open borders, with a budget that’s unfinished why would Rep xxxx be against Rep Jim Jordan for speaker? Please let us know when Rep xxxx plans on opening The People’s House so work can be done. Lastly, are there any conditions Rep xxxx will choose to work with Democrats on the process of electing a new speaker? The deadline for comment is 11 AM ET tomorrow 10/16. Thank you.

Who is Steve Scalise? The man who gave up the GOP House Speaker nomination

Monday 16 October 2023 14:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Steve Scalise, a longtime member of House Republican leadership, fought hard to win the GOP nomination to be Speaker of the House, following the dramatic ousting of Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

In a Wednesday morning vote, the Louisiana congressman beat out Jim Jordan to win the nomination by a total of 113-99. Mr Scalise needed to win 217 votes on the House floor to take the speaker’s gavel, meaning he could only lose up to four Republican votes, and multiple members of his caucus had expressed they may still vote for Mr Jordan.

However, in a shock twist on Thursday, Mr Scalise announced that he would be withdrawing his name from the running after failing to secure enough votes. “If you look at where our conference is, there’s still work to be done,” he said. “Our conference still has to come together. And it’s not there.”

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Social media commentators mock Steve Scalise as his speaker dreams are outlasted by a head of lettuce

Monday 16 October 2023 11:00 , Kelly Rissman

Social media commentators didn’t have much faith in Steve Scalise’s aspirations to become the next House speaker, including one user who correctly predicted that a head of lettuce would outlast the Majority Leader’s goals.

“My money’s on the lettuce,” MeidasTouch Network posted on X on Thursday, alongside a picture featuring a framed photo of Mr Scalise next to an example of the salad ingredient adorned with googly eyes.

“Winning. Winner. Won,” one user wrote.

“The undefeated Lettuce wins again,” another joked.

The post was an echo of memes by British newspaper the Daily Star that haunted embattled UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose short tenure in the post was compared to the “shelf-life of a lettuce” in The Economist.

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Up to 20 Republicans still refusing to back Jordan

Monday 16 October 2023 10:00 , Rachel Sharp

Rep Jim Jordan is now faced with the challenge of trying to win over members of the Republican party so that he can secure enough votes to become the next speaker of the House of Representatives.

The Ohio congressman won the GOP nomination on Friday afternoon, beating challenger Rep Austin Scott by 124 votes to 81. Mr Scott is reported to not actually want to be speaker, with observers saying the vote for him indicates the significant part of the party which would be uncomfortable with Mr Jordan as speaker.

Mr Jordan is facing an uphill climb to secure the 217 votes needed by Tuesday when the House is expected to bring a vote to the floor.

He spent the weekend trying to win over support and is said to be confident that he can get to the necessary votes to take the gavel.

But, one House Republican told CBS News on Sunday that 10 to 20 members are still refusing to back him.

‘The adults in the room on Capitol Hill ... ought to sit some people down’

Monday 16 October 2023 08:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Mike Pence said on Friday that it was a “breach of trust” for some Republicans not to back Steve Scalise after he was nominated to be speaker.

“It’s time for them to step up … Get it done this week because the days are only becoming more dangerous and more perilous,” he said.

“The adults in the room on Capitol Hill ... ought to sit some people down. Just ask them if they want to be on the team ... I give no quarter to those that are sowing chaos in the Congress today,” he added.

Republicans revolted when Mr McCarthy passed continuing resolution

Monday 16 October 2023 05:00 , Eric Garcia

Reps Chip Roy and Troy Nehls of Texas both said that the House included aid to Israel in the defence spending bill it passed before the coup against Mr McCarthy and that the Senate should take it up. But that bill was always a non-starter given the conservative riders.

Speaking of which, the House still needs to pass spending bills. Remember, the whole reason the House is in this mess is because a handful of Republicans revolted when Mr McCarthy passed a continuing resolution to keep the government open for 48 days.

Instead of passing bills, the House is fighting about a speaker, and given that Republicans prefer to pass individual spending bills instead of one major omnibus spending bill, that makes appropriations take much longer.

And this is to say nothing of the fact that they would eventually need to negotiate with the Democrat-controlled Senate in conference to create compromise bills, which would inevitably infuriate conservatives and likely lead to another mutiny not unlike what just happened – or the government might just shut down right before the holidays.

The holdouts don’t seem that flustered

Monday 16 October 2023 02:00 , Eric Garcia

If Republicans had a speaker right now, they likely would be attempting to pressure President Joe Biden to give greater support to Israel, despite the fact the president has thrown his support robustly behind the country. Indeed, when your reporter tried asking the former speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday about what message this sends given that the Middle East is on fire, he tried to blame Mr Biden.

“We have continuity of government here, I think it says more that it takes the president too long to come out and talk,” Mr McCarthy said. During his speakership, Mr McCarthy traveled to Israel and invited President Isaac Herzog to give a joint address to Congress. Republicans would ideally like to criticise those Democrats who boycotted the speech earlier this year in protest of Israel’s record on human rights. But the speaker’s crisis makes it hard to do so.

But the holdouts don’t seem that flustered. Rep Andy Ogles (R-TN), who opposed Mr Scalise said Israel could handle its own issues.

“Israel does not need our resources,” he told The Independent on Thursday. “They’re well equipped to take care of their own business. I think what quite frankly, we need to stop meddling in their foreign policy and let them do what they have to do which is wipe out Hamas.”

Many Republicans seem to know that the speaker’s crisis makes it hard to support Israel

Sunday 15 October 2023 23:00 , Eric Garcia

While the temptation for schadenfreude may be strong, the GOP’s inability to find a speaker has real-life consequences. It comes as Congress is unable to address multiple crises on the domestic and international front and seriously risks jeopardizing the United States’ standing.

Perhaps the biggest challenge the United States faces is how to respond to the recent attack by Hamas in Israel, both in how to support Israel after the attacks that led to the deaths of hundreds, the taking of hostages and the killing of children, as well as how to ensure that Israel follows international law.

Many Republicans seem to know that the speaker’s crisis makes it hard to support Israel, which is a core tenet of conservative ideology given how many conservative Christians support Israel as part of end-times theology and their general belief in a hawkish foreign policy.

“The world is looking at us right now in this basement room of how we’re going to move forward,” Rep Mark Alford of Missouri said.

‘Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who wants it so bad'

Sunday 15 October 2023 20:00 , Eric Garcia

When Mr Ryan left the speakership in 2019, Mr Jordan became a trusted ally of then-minority leader Kevin McCarthy. He also became a welcome fixture at the White House and led efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. On 5 November 2020, he participated in a rally to “Stop the Steal” at Pennsylvania’s state capitol in Harrisburg.

The House select committee that investigated the January 6 riot found that on 21 December 2020, Mr Jordan and a handful of House Republicans met with Mr Trump to discuss efforts to object to the election results and Mr Trump held the event to “disseminate his false claims and to encourage members of the public to fight the outcome on January 6”. He also admitted that he spoke with Mr Trump on the day of the January 6 riot.

In 2021, when the House organised the select committee to investigate January 6, Mr McCarthy selected Mr Jordan and Rep Jim Banks (R-IN), two allies of Mr Trump, as two of his five selections for the committee. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected Mr Banks and Mr Jordan, which led to Mr McCarthy pulling the rest of his members.

Over time, Mr McCarthy continued to elevate him, having him lead a subcommittee on the “weaponisation” of the federal government. Earlier this year, when many critics of Mr McCarthy opted to support him, he encouraged them to support Mr McCarthy, saying “I think Kevin McCarthy’s the right guy to lead us. I really do, or I wouldn’t be standing up here giving up this speech”.

In turn, Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who nominated Mr Jordan, said the speech made him just the right candidate to lead the House, adding, “Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who wants it so bad”.

When Mr Gaetz filed a motion to vacate this week, Mr Jordan voted against it.

Climbing the ranks in the Trump era

Sunday 15 October 2023 17:00 , Eric Garcia

Mr Boehner’s ouster gave Mr Jordan increased political clout. During Paul Ryan’s speakership, Mr Jordan continued to criticise the House GOP leadership. When Donald Trump became president, Mr Jordan quickly became a fixture in conservative media criticising attempts of the “deep state” to undermine Mr Trump.

On the House Judiciary Committee, Mr Jordan served as one of the chief apologists during Mr Trump’s first impeachment trial, aggressively questioning witnesses who alleged that Mr Trump sought to have Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky investigate Joe Biden’s son Hunter in exchange for aid to Ukraine as a means to help him win re-election.

When Mr Meadows left the House to become White House chief of staff, Mr Jordan became chairman of the Oversight Committee before resigning that post to become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

The ‘legislative terrorist’

Sunday 15 October 2023 11:00 , Eric Garcia

Mr Jordan holds few legislative accomplishments and he criticised leaders in his own party as often as he criticised the Obama administration and Democrats. Rather than focusing on the work of governing, he focused more on raising his objections in the media.

After Republicans won the majority in the House of Representatives, he turned down a position on the House Appropriations Committee, which allocates money to various programmes and has long been considered the most prestigious committee in the House. Rather, he chose to lead the Republican Study Committee, an ideologically conservative focused on advancing conservative policies.

In 2013, he and a handful of Tea Party conservatives teamed up with Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) in an effort to shut down the government if Congress did not defund the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The effort would never be successful since Democrats controlled the Senate at the time and Mr Obama still occupied the White House. But it burnished Mr Jordan’s credentials as a conservative warrior.

In 2015, he became the founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, serving as its inaugural chairman. Ultimately, his colleague Mark Meadows, a congressman from North Carolina who would go on to serve as White House chief of staff, filed a motion to vacate the chair during John Boehner’s tenure as speaker. The vote never came but it was enough to end Mr Boehner’s time as speaker. Later, Mr Boehner would criticise his tactics. “Jordan was a terrorist as a legislator going back to his days in the Ohio House and Senate,” before dubbing him “a legislative terrorist”.

How has Jim Jordan gotten to this point?

Sunday 15 October 2023 08:00 , Eric Garcia

Prior to serving in Congress, Mr Jordan attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he became a champion wrestler in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association. Shortly thereafter, he received a master’s degree from Ohio State University and a law degree from Capital University Law School, though he never took the bar exam and never practised law, telling NPR in 2018, “I’m just a wannabe”.

He later served in both chambers of Ohio’s General Assembly before he won a seat in the US Congress in 2006. In the following years, he became one of the loudest voices in the Tea Party movement that served as a backlash to Barack Obama’s presidency.

Jim Jordan is a conservative hellraiser in the House. Now he’s Trump’s top choice for speaker

Sunday 15 October 2023 05:00 , Eric Garcia

Early in the morning of 6 October, former president Donald Trump threw his support behind Rep Jim Jordan in the race to become speaker of the House. The endorsement was not entirely surprising given Mr Jordan, an Ohio congressman, occupied the same lane in the House of Representatives that Mr Trump has as a presidential candidate and president – as an expression of conservatives who were dissatisfied with Republican leadership and a candidate who channelled their rage.

Following the failure of Majority Leader Steve Scalise to get the backing he needed for vote on the floor of the House, the focus returned to Mr Jordan, who was the only challenger to Mr Scalise in the first internal GOP vote on who should be the next speaker. Mr Scalise won that vote 113 to Mr Jordan’s 99.

A product of the Tea Party wave and founder of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, Mr Jordan’s tenure in the House led to the ouster of former speaker John Boehner, which set the stage for Kevin McCarthy’s downfall earlier this month, despite his steadfast support for the speaker.

In addition, as a previous chair of the House Oversight Committee and now the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he has defended Mr Trump vociferously. Fast-talking, pugnacious and prone to inflammatory rhetoric that veers into outright falsehoods, Mr Jordan often can be seen roaming the halls of the House not wearing a suit jacket.

But he also played a significant role in Mr Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and spreading misinformation since then. He’s faced further scrutiny about whether he refused to report the sexual abuse of wrestlers he coached while at the Ohio State University.

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‘There are still some people that have their own agendas'

Sunday 15 October 2023 02:00 , Rachel Sharp

Mr Scalise was nominated for the speakership by House Republicans on Wednesday, edging out Trump-backed Ohio Rep Jim Jordan in a vote of 113 to 99.

However, the Louisiana Republican failed to secure enough votes for a deciding vote, prompting him to withdraw from the race. “There are still some people that have their own agendas,” he said as he announced that he was quitting. “And I was very clear we have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs this country is counting on us to come back together.”

Subsequently, Mr Jordan jumped back into the race.

The House hullabaloo follows the ouster, just over a week ago, of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Social media commentators mock Steve Scalise as his speaker dreams are outlasted by a head of lettuce

Saturday 14 October 2023 23:00 , Kelly Rissman

Social media commentators didn’t have much faith in Steve Scalise’s aspirations to become the next House speaker, including one user who correctly predicted that a head of lettuce would outlast the Majority Leader’s goals.

“My money’s on the lettuce,” MeidasTouch Network posted on X on Thursday, alongside a picture featuring a framed photo of Mr Scalise next to an example of the salad ingredient adorned with googly eyes.

“Winning. Winner. Won,” one user wrote.

“The undefeated Lettuce wins again,” another joked.

The post was an echo of memes by British newspaper the Daily Star that haunted embattled UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose short tenure in the post was compared to the “shelf-life of a lettuce” in The Economist.

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'I always tell people, don’t worry, please don’t worry. It’s much worse than you think’

Saturday 14 October 2023 20:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Amid the GOP’s seemingly never-ending struggle to agree on a new speaker, Mr Colbert asked Mr Fetterman if the members of the upper chamber “feel pretty good right now that they’re not the most dysfunctional part of the government?”

“Well it’s a low bar, really,” Mr Fetterman said.

“I just want everybody to realise just how truly dysfunctional it really is,” he added. “And I always tell people, don’t worry, please don’t worry. It’s much worse than you think.“

John Fetterman says America’s ‘best and brightest’ are not in Congress

Saturday 14 October 2023 17:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Sen John Fetterman said on Wednesday that the US “is not sending their best and brightest” to Congress.

“Sometimes you literally just can’t believe, like, these people are making the decisions that are determining the government here. It’s actually scary,” Mr Fetterman told Stephen Colbert during an appearance on The Late Show on CBS.

“Before the government almost shut down, I mean, it came down to a couple hours,” he noted about the last-minute deal struck between Republicans and Democrats to fund the government until the middle of next month that prompted the ouster of Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

“I was in my office, and they finally came over from the House. And they’re like, ‘Okay, well, this has to be unanimous in the Senate.’ And out of 99 of us, if one single one of us would have said no, the whole government would have shut down,” Mr Fetterman said.

“That’s how dangerous that is to put that kind of power in one’s hands because you have some very less gifted kinds of people there that are willing to shut down the government just as score points on Fox,” he noted.

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How we got here

Saturday 14 October 2023 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

The speaker seat has been empty since eight Republicans – led by Rep Matt Gaetz – joined Democrats to vote to remove Mr McCarthy from the speakership on 3 October.

Mr McCarthy had grown increasingly at odds with the far-right wing of the party – notably lead rebel and MAGA Republican Mr Gaetz.

Mr Gaetz had filed a motion to vacate the speaker in outrage that Mr McCarthy struck a deal with Democrats to avert a government shutdown – one that could have temporarily shuttered key services for American people and furloughed federal workers.

After Democrats declined to bail out the speaker and members of his own party turned on him, Mr McCarthy was removed in a 216-210 vote to vacate – marking the first time in American history that a speaker has been ousted by other lawmakers.

House in session for less than nine hours in two weeks

Saturday 14 October 2023 11:00 , Rachel Sharp

CNN reporter Kristin Wilson noted that in the two weeks since Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role, the House has been in session for less than nine hours – stalling the passage of bills for the American people.

“They’ve been in session a total of 8 hours and 39 minutes since McCarthy cancelled recess two weeks ago tomorrow,” she posted on X.

Because of the Republican party split, a candidate can only afford to lose four Republican votes to pass the threshold of 217 votes.

‘This Party wants to govern America, yet they can’t even govern themselves'

Saturday 14 October 2023 08:00 , Rachel Sharp

Former US Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal questioned how the GOP can hope to run the country when they can’t resolve their infighting.

“This Party wants to govern America, yet they can’t even govern themselves,” he posted on X, sharing a link to an article about Mr Scalise’s exit from the race.

Gun control activist Fred Guttenberg posted that Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries should take the gavel.

“A bipartisan solution is the only path forward. It is time for Speaker Hakeem Jeffries,” he said.

‘This is all totally unprecedented in American history'

Saturday 14 October 2023 05:00 , Rachel Sharp

MSNBC host Chris Hayes revealed his shock that the US has been thrown into this “totally unprecedented” situation.

“This is all totally unprecedented in American history. We haven’t had this before,” he said.

“It’s 100 years since we had a motion to vacate the chair. Amidst an unfolding global crisis, the second in line to the president and constitutional office of Speaker of the House remains vacant, with no clear path for this House Republican caucus to rally behind anyone for an election.”

‘This is very problematic at a terrible time going on in our world right now’

Saturday 14 October 2023 04:00 , Rachel Sharp

Several Democratic lawmakers and other critics were quick to hit out at the GOP for plunging the nation into yet more chaos.

Senator Cory Booker said that the US is “in crisis right now” because of the party’s inner turmoil and condemned the far-right faction of the GOP for “undermining the function of government”.

“This is a problem. We are in crisis right now in the county we have important issues we should be dealing with,” he said in an appearance on MSNBC.

“Resolutely supporting the effort in Ukraine. Resolutely standing with Israel helping it to aid in its defence in protection of its citizens and in the evacuation of Americans from Gaza.

“There are important issues we should be dealing, with not to mention running the government.”

He added: “To have this level of dysfunction amongst the House Republicans – and especially a small group of right-wing folks who are undermining the function of the government – this is very problematic at a terrible time going on in our world right now.”

Cory Booker leads criticism of GOP House speaker turmoil: ‘We are in crisis right now’

Saturday 14 October 2023 03:00 , Rachel Sharp

The Republican Party is coming under intense criticism for plunging the US government into chaos as infighting continues to derail all hopes of appointing a new leader of the House of Representatives.

On Thursday night, hopes that the House would finally get a new speaker were dashed when the GOP nominee Steve Scalise suddenly dropped out of the race.

In a bombshell move, House Majority Leader Mr Scalise announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy, hitting out at the “agenda” of members of his own party.

“If you look over the last few weeks, if you look at where our conference is, there’s still work to be done,” he told reporters.

“Our conference has to come together and is not there. There are still some people that have their own agenda.”

READ MORE

VIDEO: Steve Scalise ends bid for House Speaker after failing to win enough votes

Saturday 14 October 2023 02:00 , Gustaf Kilander

‘We’re dysfunctional, we’re disorganised and we’re broken'

Saturday 14 October 2023 01:00 , Alastair Jamieson, Eric Garcia

Rep Troy Nehls of Texas has suggested nominating Donald Trump to be the leader of the House. (The US constitution does not explicitly require the speaker to be a member of the House of Representatives, but every speaker so far has been. The speaker is second in line to the presidency, after the vice-president.)

But he acknowledged his plan was unlikely, not least because the party is too divided.

“We’re dysfunctional, we’re disorganised and we’re broken,” he said after yet another meeting broke up without agreement. “One of the members said in there, you know, I don’t think the Lord Jesus himself could get 217.”

Republicans hoped to avoid repeat of embarrassing spectacle from January

Saturday 14 October 2023 00:00 , Alastair Jamieson, Eric Garcia

Republicans had hoped to avoid a repeat of the embarrassing spectacle that occurred in January when hardline conservatives forced Kevin McCarthy to endure no fewer than 15 floor votes over four days before winning the gavel.

Several Republicans said they would stick with Mr Scalise’s rival, Jim Jordan, who lost out in a secret ballot on Wednesday. Mr Jordan had encouraged his supporters to vote for Scalise.

Representative Greg Murphy said it was not clear that Mr Jordan could win enough support to succeed on the floor.

“It’s going to be hard,” Mr Murphy told reporters. “Personally, I think it may end up being a compromise candidate.”

Mr Scalise, 58, gained near legendary status within Republican circles by surviving a severe gunshot wound after a gunman opened fire during practice for a charity baseball game in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2017.

He also commands widespread respect as a veteran legislator who has spent years in party leadership positions.

But he also faces new health concerns as he undergoes treatment for multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, which some Jordan supporters cited as a reason not to vote for him.

New York representative Nicole Malliotakis initially backed Mr Jordan but got behind Mr Scalise… although she was unable to explain why, except to say Mr Scalise is a nice guy.

“Steve Scalise is a good person,” she said. “He’s a good man. He’s is a person who I think can be a good communicator and leader for this conference.”

‘Dysfunctional’ race for US House speaker in chaos as Scalise drops out

Friday 13 October 2023 23:00 , Alastair Jamieson, Eric Garcia

A Republican race to become the next speaker of the US House of Representatives was mired in chaos on Friday after party divisions scuppered the first choice of candidate, Steve Scalise.

He dropped out of the race after it became clear that internal opposition would leave him short of the votes needed to be elected on the House floor.

It sent the House of Representatives into its 10th day without leadership, which means the chamber has been unable to act to support Israel’s war against Hamas militants or pass government spending bills before funding runs out on 17 November.

Republicans have such a slender majority that opposition from just four representatives is enough to stop a party nominee from getting the necessary 217 votes.

“There are still some people that have their own agendas,” Mr Scalise told reporters as he quit the race.

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Social media commentators mock Steve Scalise as his speaker dreams are outlasted by a head of lettuce

Friday 13 October 2023 22:30 , Kelly Rissman

Social media commentators didn’t have much faith in Steve Scalise’s aspirations to become the next House speaker, including one user who correctly predicted that a head of lettuce would outlast the Majority Leader’s goals.

“My money’s on the lettuce,” MeidasTouch Network posted on X on Thursday, alongside a picture featuring a framed photo of Mr Scalise next to an example of the salad ingredient adorned with googly eyes.

“Winning. Winner. Won,” one user wrote.

“The undefeated Lettuce wins again,” another joked.

The post was an echo of memes by British newspaper the Daily Star that haunted embattled UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose short tenure in the post was compared to the “shelf-life of a lettuce” in The Economist.

READ MORE

Jordan could be charged in connection to 2020 election scheme, legal observer says

Friday 13 October 2023 22:20 , Gustaf Kilander

Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH) may be indicted as “an accessory after the fact” to former President Donald Trump and his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, legal observers have told Newsweek, noting that prosecutors would have to show that Mr Jordan’s claims were part of a larger conspiracy.

An adjunct professor of law at New York University, Peter Shane, told the outlet that the First Amendment doesn’t protect against intentionally false statements.

“Laws against fraud, perjury, and defamation, for example, are not unconstitutional,” he said.

“The First Amendment would make it difficult to uphold a prosecution of Jordan based solely on his speech unless it could be shown to be part and parcel of some larger criminal act,” he added.

“If it could be shown that Jordan was part of a conspiracy to defraud the United States of the sort charged against Trump in his DC indictment, and his false statements were made in furtherance of that conspiracy, the First Amendment would not preclude using his statements as evidence,” Mr Shane said.

‘We must unite behind one leader’

Friday 13 October 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The focus has returned to Mr Jordan as he was the only challenger to Mr Scalise, with the supporters of the Ohioan noting his conservative pedigree as a former chair of the Republican Study Committee and the House Freedom Caucus, adding that he has become less and less of a thorn in the side of GOP leadership in the last few years.

Rep Richard Hudson (R-NC) said in a statement on Friday that “we must unite behind one leader with the integrity, the ability and the vision to lead us. I believe that Jim Jordan is that leader and I ask my colleagues to join me now”.

The House Republican conference met again on Friday morning as they attempted to get over the so far insurmountable divisions within the caucus.

The chaos began last week when then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted after eight Republicans voted with all the Democrats to remove him after a motion to vacate was triggered by Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL).

“We had a process and we had a nominee and people stabbed him in the back,” Rep Pat Fallon (R-TX) said, according to NBC News. “So that’s not something to be proud of.”

VIDEO: Kevin McCarthy says he will support Jim Jordan for House speaker

Friday 13 October 2023 21:56 , Billal Rahman

Friday 13 October 2023 21:56 , Gustaf Kilander

‘The adults in the room on Capitol Hill ... ought to sit some people down’

Friday 13 October 2023 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Mike Pence said on Friday that it was a “breach of trust” for some Republicans not to back Steve Scalise after he was nominated to be speaker.

“It’s time for them to step up … Get it done this week because the days are only becoming more dangerous and more perilous,” he said.

“The adults in the room on Capitol Hill ... ought to sit some people down. Just ask them if they want to be on the team ... I give no quarter to those that are sowing chaos in the Congress today,” he added.

Trump-backed Jim Jordan secures GOP nomination for speaker amid party chaos

Friday 13 October 2023 21:19 , Gustaf Kilander and Eric Garcia

Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH) has secured a majority of the GOP votes for speaker to grasp the nomination but he was unable to reach the 217 votes he needs from his caucus to win a vote of the full House.

Mr Jordan beat challenger Rep Austin Scott (R-GA) by 124 votes to 81 on Friday afternoon, according to Politico.

This comes after Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) gave up his attempt to become speaker after he beat Mr Jordan in the first internal ballot on nominating a candidate for speaker earlier this week.

Mr Jordan is a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump and has a reputation in Congress as a rightwing hardliner and brawler. He may yet end up failing to get the votes he needs for a floor vote as the GOP divisions appear far from softening.

As the GOP has a very small majority, Mr Jordan can only lose four votes on the House floor, and a number of Republicans on the moderate end of the conference have already said they won’t back Mr Jordan even in a vote of the full chamber.

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Dems sends pitch to temporary speaker to get House back in business

Friday 13 October 2023 21:03 , Gustaf Kilander

Americans united behind Biden and Israel even as House has no speaker, Raskin says

Friday 13 October 2023 21:02 , Gustaf Kilander

Jim Jordan is a conservative hellraiser in the House. Now he’s Trump’s top choice for speaker

Friday 13 October 2023 21:00 , Eric Garcia

Early in the morning of 6 October, former president Donald Trump threw his support behind Rep Jim Jordan in the race to become speaker of the House. The endorsement was not entirely surprising given Mr Jordan, an Ohio congressman, occupied the same lane in the House of Representatives that Mr Trump has as a presidential candidate and president – as an expression of conservatives who were dissatisfied with Republican leadership and a candidate who channelled their rage.

Following the failure of Majority Leader Steve Scalise to get the backing he needed for vote on the floor of the House, the focus has now returned to Mr Jordan, who was the only challenger to Mr Scalise in the first internal GOP vote on who should be the next speaker. Mr Scalise won that vote 113 to Mr Jordan’s 99.

A product of the Tea Party wave and founder of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, Mr Jordan’s tenure in the House led to the ouster of former speaker John Boehner, which set the stage for Kevin McCarthy’s downfall earlier this month, despite his steadfast support for the speaker.

In addition, as a previous chair of the House Oversight Committee and now the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he has defended Mr Trump vociferously. Fast-talking, pugnacious and prone to inflammatory rhetoric that veers into outright falsehoods, Mr Jordan often can be seen roaming the halls of the House not wearing a suit jacket.

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Here’s what will happen next — maybe — after Steve Scalise quits contest for House speaker

Friday 13 October 2023 20:30 , Gustaf Kilander and Eric Garcia

The mess that is the Republican contest to choose a new House speaker just got worse, with no clear path in sight. Here’s what could happen next:

THE BACKGROUND The new chaos emerged after the initial GOP nominee for speaker, Rep Steve Scalise (R-LA), declared on Thursday that he had been unable to secure the support he needed to take the vote to the House floor. Mr Scalise’s decision came after he had failed to convince 217 of the 221 members of the House Republican Conference required to win the gavel to vote for him for speaker.

“If you look at where our conference is, there’s still work to be done,” he said. “Our conference still has to come together. And it’s not there.”

“There are still some people that have their own agendas,” he added. “And I was very clear we have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs this country is counting on us to come back together.”

READ MORE

Santos in heated exchange over Israel with a protester

Friday 13 October 2023 20:23 , Eric Garcia

Republicans to vote at 3.15pm

Friday 13 October 2023 20:04 , Gustaf Kilander