GOP’s Jim Jordan admits Trump’s latest ABC threat was government pressure

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) acknowledged that President Donald Trump’s Tuesday night threat against ABC, over reinstating late-night host Jimmy Kimmel amounted to — at least in part — government pressure. Congressman Jordan serves as the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government.

“I think we’re going to test ABC out on this,” Trump wrote as part of a social media post. “Let’s see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 Million Dollars. This one sounds even more lucrative.”

CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin asked Jordan, “You tell me whether you think this sounds like coercion or not,” before reading Trump’s remarks.

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“Well, I mean,” Jordan began, “I don’t think you can you can say this is, uh, this is the pressure from the government, because ABC put him back on.”

Trump’s remarks came after ABC reinstated Kimmel.

“So how is that? How is that the government’s taking them off the air when in fact, the ABC themselves, Disney, made the decision?” he asked.

Sorkin pressed on, saying, “there’s pressure, but it may not be successful pressure, but it’s pressure from the government.”

“Um, yeah,” Jordan replied. “I guess you can, you can say, maybe some, but I don’t, I don’t think that’s what drove it. I think this was a business decision.”

When asked about his fellow Republicans, including U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, denouncing the FCC’s tactics against Disney/ABC, saying government shouldn’t be in the business of regulating speech, Jordan was more specific.

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“Fair enough,” he said. “Uh, and, look, I’m I think we should be defending your right to speak —most important right we have under the First Amendment.”

“I always say, if you can’t speak, you can’t practice your faith, you can’t share your faith, you can’t petition your government, you don’t have a free press.”

“So the right to speak is so important,” Jordan concluded.

In addition to Cruz, Senators Rand Paul(R-KY), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and other Republicans have expressed concern.