President Trump awarded the Medal of Freedom on Monday to Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as he continues to honor his staunchest political allies.
In a closed-door ceremony, Mr. Trump awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor to Mr. Jordan for working “to unearth malfeasance at the highest levels of the United States government.” Last year, Mr. Jordan led the GOP effort in the House to oppose Mr. Trump’s impeachment.
“He also worked to unmask the Russia hoax and take on Deep State corruption — confronting senior Justice Department officials for obstructing Congress and exposing the fraudulent origins of the Russia collusion lie,” the White House said of the lawmaker. “He is an inspiration to freedom-loving Americans everywhere and has distinguished himself as one of the most consequential members of Congress of his generation.”
Last week, Mr. Trump gave the medal to Rep. Devin Nunes, California Republican who likewise has spent the past four years fighting to expose the political motives behind the Russia probe.
The president also is bestowing the award on sports figures in the waning days of his presidency. On Thursday, he is expected to present the medal to New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
The prestigious award is given to people who have made “especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
Mr. Jordan, who has served 14 years in the House, has done much of his work on the House Oversight and Reform Committee. The White House noted that he helped to uncover a gun-running program in the Obama Justice Department “known as ‘Fast and Furious’ that gave AK-47s to Mexican drug cartels.” “Jordan helped identify millions of dollars of wasteful spending in the last administration’s numerous green energy programs,” the White House said. “He also fought against the Justice Department program known as ‘Operation Chokepoint’ — an early form of cancel culture and ‘de-platforming’ directed at law-abiding gun owners.”
He also was cited for his efforts to unearth what the White House called “one of the worst scandals in the history of the Treasury Department” — the IRS targeting of conservative organizations. And in 2016, the White House said, Mr. Jordan worked with then-Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas to investigate and publish a report on the deadly attack against the U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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