A spokesperson for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) rebuked a recent story in Politico that reported he had a contentious meeting with Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) over the current House Speaker fight.
The report said that Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) would not be backing Jordan’s bid to become Speaker of the House after Scalise’s withdrawal, alleging that Jordan had behaved untowardly.
“Yesterday in conference, he gave the most disgraceful, ungracious — I can’t call it a concession speech — of all time,” Wagner was quoted by Politico as saying. “There were gasps in the room.”
Politico then detailed another incident wherein Jordan lost Wagner’s support:
It took place during a private meeting between Scalise and Jordan, less than an hour after the majority leader won the House GOP’s internal speaker ballot. Wagner wasn’t in the room, but she remained outside in Scalise’s office and took in the immediate aftermath.
According to Wagner and other House Republicans briefed on the meeting, Jordan said to Scalise: “You get one ballot. And when you go down, you will nominate me.”
She said Scalise pushed back, arguing he had won by the conference rules, to which Jordan replied: “America wants me,” before storming out the door.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, April 27, 2023. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News, Russell Dye, spokesperson for Chairman Jordan, called the Politico story “inaccurate.”
“This was a meeting between Mr. Jordan and Mr. Scalise only and the details in this story are inaccurate,” said Dye.
In another statement to Politico, Dye described the conversation as “cordial.”
“This was an entirely cordial conversation and Mr. Scalise said he wanted to go to the floor right away, so Mr. Jordan offered to nominate him on the floor, and requested that if we had to go to the floor and Mr. Scalise didn’t have the votes — he nominate Mr. Jordan, the only other announced candidate for speaker,” Dye said in a statement.
“Mr. Scalise agreed to think about it and said he would call Mr. Jordan in forty-five minutes,” he added. “Mr. Scalise is a great friend to Mr. Jordan and an incredible leader in our conference.”
Paul Roland Bois joined Breitbart News in 2021. He also directed the award-winning feature film, EXEMPLUM, which can be viewed for FREE on YouTube or Tubi. A high-quality, ad-free stream can also be purchased on Google Play or Vimeo on Demand. Follow him on Twitter @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
