“Jordan has done an excellent job,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) at his weekly press conference. “The one thing I would take away from all this: we have a united Republican party. Much different in contrast to the Democratic party, where they have their own civil war.”
McCarthy’s blessing is just the latest example of how far his relationship with Jordan and Meadows has come: Jordan unsuccessfully challenged McCarthy for minority leader in 2018. Jordan then expressed interest in the ranking member role on the Judiciary Committee, but ended up running for Oversight instead.
And Jordan and Meadows, co-founders of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, were long a thorn in the side of GOP leadership when Republicans were in the majority. But McCarthy’s newfound alliance with the duo — which started when Trump won the White House but has only strengthened in the minority — is sure to earn the minority leader some major points with conservatives down the road.
With Jordan and Meadows being elevated to their new roles, the White House will have some of their top attack dogs in key defender roles. The House Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over a wide range of hot-button issues, including impeachment, guns and immigration, while the influential Oversight panel has broad investigative authorities.
Jordan, who came to Congress in 2007, has been one of Trump’s most aggressive defenders in the House and was even temporarily placed on the House Intelligence Committee for the public impeachment hearings. Trump and his allies wanted Jordan on the panel because they consider him to be one of their most effective members at combatting Democrats. And Jordan has also become a fundraising power house, raking in $1.4 million in the last three months of 2019 — an new all-time high for him.
Meadows, meanwhile, was one of Trump’s earliest supporters on Capitol Hill and has become one of his closest confidants. He is set to retire at the end of this year and has signaled interest in a job in the Trump administration.
“It’s an honor that @GOPLeader and our colleagues on the Steering Committee have given me the chance to help lead @JudiciaryGOP,” Jordan tweeted.
Source: politico.com
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