Let’s start with a simple proposition: Jim Jordan, as a House subcommittee chairman, has the right to subpoena anyone he wants.
But when it comes to what he’s dubbed the "weaponization" of the federal government, he also has to prove his case. And the Ohio congressman is off to a rocky start.
The Democrats, for their part, are playing aggressive defense, trying to discredit the probe before it really gets off the ground. The GOP says it needs more resources.
The danger for Jordan is that the whole thing turns into a partisan food fight, causing many people to tune out. Or if it drags on so long that it becomes forgettable. Or, like the Whitewater prosecutor Ken Starr winding up interrogating Monica Lewinsky, goes off in a different direction.
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The central question is whether Jordan can demonstrate that conservatives have been unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, or whether he will use his gavel to try to embarrass Democrats.
At the first hearing, Jordan rattled off accusations by numerous FBI employees of wrongdoing and retaliation, saying the leadership "is rotted at its core."
"In my time in Congress I have never seen anything like this," he said. "Dozens and dozens of whistleblowers, FBI agents, coming to us…Americans have concerns about the double standard at the Department of Justice."
But since Jordan didn’t mention the accusers’ names, there is no way for anyone to fact-check their claims.
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Democrats say the first three witnesses to testify aren’t really FBI whistleblowers but malcontent theorists who provided no concrete evidence of malfeasance.
In a 316-page report leaked to the New York Times, the Democratic staff said: "Each endorses an alarming series of conspiracy theories related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the Covid vaccine, and the validity of the 2020 election. One has called repeatedly for the dismantling of the F.B.I."
Another said the Jan. 6 riot was a "set up" and described the bureau as "the Brown Shirt enforcers of the @DNC."
In an intriguing note, two of the three men said they had received financial support – $5,000 in one case – from Kash Patel, a former Trump administration official and loyalist.
Axios says Jordan is facing criticism that he has moved too slowly and found little, among increased pressure from disappointed Republicans and critical Democrats.
"Any inclination that we are moving slowly or not getting results is completely asinine and ignorant," a Jordan spokesman told Axios. "There will always be critics in the stands, but when you are getting results, it’s best to tune out the noise."
With the minority party complaining that they are not being informed about 16 other subpoena targets, the Jordan team says it is standard practice to wait until the potential witnesses agree to go on the record and have their testimony transcribed.
Jordan this week subpoenaed Nina Jankowicz, former head of the Homeland Security Department’s Disinformation Board, which was quickly abolished last year after fierce Republican criticism.
Jankowicz, who had claimed to have no partisan ax to grind, tweeted that she will tell the truth about disinformation, which is "because of the Republican Party’s irresponsible lies about it—our democracy is less secure."
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It’s become standard operating procedure for each party to accuse the other of politicizing government. As president, Donald Trump did it out in the open, saying the Justice Department was railroading his political allies and should be prosecuting his political opponents. Bill Barr, who as attorney general asked a judge to reduce the seven-to-nine year sentence his department had recommended for Roger Stone, complained to Trump that his pronouncements were making it impossible for him to do his job.
However the weaponization probe turns out – and it’s early – I doubt it is resonating much beyond the Beltway. Most people are more concerned with the price of eggs or reducing aid to Ukraine. They voted for House Republicans expecting real change, and it remains to be seen whether this investigation grabs their attention.
