Exclusive: Jim Jordan shares his "new sheriff in town" vision
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo credit: Lindsay Stayton on behalf of Axios
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said during an Axios House event Tuesday that "you have got to send a message" with a spree of firings when a new administration starts, to signal there's a "new sheriff in town."
Why it matters: Jordan's embrace of installing loyalists echoed what's expected to be former President Trump's approach to governing if he wins a second term.
- "It starts with the secretaries themselves, but there's a layer of people too ... political appointments, make sure you get rid of all of them there before and put in people who think the way we do," he told Axios' Alex Thompson on the second day of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
- "I do think you got to send a message and you ... fire everyone you're allowed to fire, maybe fire a few people you're not allowed to fire, make them take you to court, just to send a message that there is a new sheriff in town," Jordan said.
- Some House Republicans have started looking towards a second Trump administration to use the Justice Department to investigate Biden and his family, as their probes have failed to find evidence of wrongdoing.
State of play: Jordan has repeatedly said that some U.S. agencies have been "weaponized" against the GOP.
- He's been a central figure in the impeachment investigation into President Biden, which hasn't had significant progress.
- "We want these agencies working for the people, not in any way targeting We the People, but representing and working for the American taxpayer."
The big picture: Trump allies are pre-screening loyalists to fill positions across government as part of his broader effort dramatically expand his power, Axios' Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen report.
Go deeper: Exclusive: Jim Jordan doubts Trump DOJ will pursue Biden
