Democrats slam Trump ultra-loyalist Jim Jordan for 'giving oxygen to his conspiracy theories' as he tries to derail vote on ordering Pence use 25th Amendment to remove president

There was an angry clash at the House Rules Committee Tuesday as Democratic members tried to get Republican Jim Jordan to denounce the claim that Joe Biden didn't fairly win the election following a Capitol riot that endangered lawmakers and resulted in the death of a Capitol Police officer.

Rules Chairman Rep. Jim McGovern repeatedly put Jordan in the hot seat by asking him to state that Biden won the election 'fair and square.' It was something Jordan was unwilling to do, even as lawmakers in both parties reacted in horror to the riot that occurred steps away from the Capitol hearing room.  

'Mr. Jordan, this isn't a both sides issue,' McGovern told Jordan after he expressed opposition to a House Democratic impeachment resolution being considered.

'Of course I understand Joe Biden won,' Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said, without being willing to say it was done fairly

Then he delivered a long recitation of what happened on Wednesday, culminating in a question: 'So my question for you is will you admit that Joe Biden won fair and square and the election was not rigged or stolen?' he asked Jordan.

What followed was a 19-second pause, before Jordan, speaking from the Rules Committee hearing room, finally responded.

'Can you hear me, Mr. Chairman?' he finally said. 'What I did over the, over the past several months is follow the process,' was Jordan's first attempt at an answer.

McGovern had gone over the terrifying events of the day. 

'Our capital was attacked, five people are dead, countless people are wounded. We had a group of domestic terrorists – homegrown fascists – that came to the Capitol building to desecrate this symbol of democracy and freedom and to do harm to people,' he said. 'And with all due respect, I'm glad that all it took for you to call for unity and healing was for our freedom and our democracy to be attacked. But for the last several months, the  gentleman from Ohio and others have given oxygen to the President's conspiracy theories. And I just, and we all want healing. But in order to get to healing we need truth, and we need accountability,' McGovern continued.

Rules Chairman Rep. Jim McGovern repeatedly asked Rep. Jim Jordan whether Joe Biden won the election 'fair and square'

McGovern demanded 'accountability' after a 'coup'

Jordan participated from the Rules Committee, which is just off the House chamber invaded by rioters

In this Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021 file photo supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol in Washington

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) made the case for VP Mike Pence invoking the 25th Amendment or impeachment 

'I mean, people came to the Capitol building to try to launch a coup to stop us from upholding our constitutional responsibilities. I mean I I was on the floor of the House floor, I know you were and others ...  and when I went into the Speaker's Lobby, I saw this mob. You know, trying to break glass doors to get access to the floor and god knows what else. You know, they defied the Capitol Police who were bravely trying to protect us. And, and I saw in their eyes. You know, hate, and evil. And I'm just grateful that more that more people weren't harmed in this terrible attack but they, they came here to destroy things to desecrate things. And they did so because the president of the United States told them to go do it. At his urging.' 

'That's not the question I asked,' McGovern told Jordan when he avoided a straight answer.

'I'll get to the question,' Jordan said, denying that he was doing a filibuster. 

He pointed to January 6, the date Congress counts the electoral vote, as a date of 'ultimate significance,' saying: 'So we followed that process.'

He said Republicans spoke against the 'unconstitutional way' that some states conducted their elections.

'But I'm not asking about the process. I'm asking you to make a statement that the election was not stolen. That Joe Biden and Kamala Harris one fair and square, that's that's the question. 

'Yes he is,' Jordan acknoweldged.

'So Joe Biden won fair and square?' McGovern pressed. 

'He won the election because the way the process works is the last chance to object is January 6th and the objection didn't prevail,' was the best Jordan could muster – still acknowledging Biden's win on technical grounds. 

'If we want to talk about healing. We have to talk about truth. And if we want to talk about healing we also need to deal with the issue of accountability,' McGovern lectured him.

'Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman. Yes, Joe Biden is going to be sworn in as president he is, he is President-elect Joe Biden,' Jordan said in his renewed attempt. 

Then he complained that 'the rules were changed in unconstitutional fashion,' referencing states who boosted mail-in voting amid the pandemic, in decisions pushed through by state legislatures, election boards, and judges. 

'You refuse to answer that question,' McGovern told him.

'He's going to be the president. I've said that on television,' said Jordan in the televised meeting.

'That is not the question I asked. I asked you to to to to lay bare the fact that this lie out there that somehow that Joe Biden did not win the election fair and square. He did. The President to this day, continues to perpetrate that. 

'Of course I understand Joe Biden won. Are you saying there's concerns with this election,' Jordan countered.

Jordan had tweeted December 4th, as Trump and his forces tried to dispute the election results: 'Over 50 million Americans think this election was stolen. That’s more than one third of the electorate. For that reason alone, we owe it to the country to investigate election integrity.'

Jordan also tweeted Oct. 19th, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on an election issue. 'Democrats are trying to steal the election, after the election. Chief Justice Roberts is letting them do it,' he wrote.