GOP congressman: Investigating Trump's crimes isn't what 'counts'

On a Wednesday night Fox News interview with Laura Ingraham, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) said congressional investigations into Trump’s corruption and incompetence don’t count. Instead, he said right-wing conspiracies theories are much more important to look at. Both guest and host have been staunch defenders of Trump and used the segment to deflect from ongoing revelations about his conduct.

“I think [Democrats] are nervous about the real investigation,” Jordan said, indicating that the “real investigation” is Attorney General William Barr’s purported probe into the origins of the Trump campaign’s Russia outreach.

The conspiracy theory that the FBI was “out to get” Trump has been fodder for Trump, his supporters, and their allies at Fox News for months.

After whitewashing the Mueller report, Barr has made it clear that he will misuse his office to push the conspiracy, pleasing Jordan and others.

“All the evidence is seeming to point to the FBI was out to get the president … That’s the investigation that counts,” Jordan said.

In reality, all the evidence shows that the FBI investigation was sparked because Trump campaign official George Papadopoulos bragged about contact with Russians.

The resulting Mueller report showed that there were real reasons for these concerns, as there were repeated contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russian operatives. At the same time, as determined by U.S. intelligence agencies, the Russian government was attempting to influence the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.

Jordan doesn’t want Congress to get to the truth.  In the interview, he blasted efforts underway by Congressional committees to view Trump’s taxes and finances. This information remains a secret because Trump won’t come clean.

Americans now know Trump was a terrible businessman and is a corrupt president who is absolutely inept. Congress, after years of ignoring these problems when figures like Jordan were in the leadership, is finally doing its job. That’s the investigation “that counts.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.