Jim Jordan Vows to Defund the Police Over Donald Trump Indictment

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, a close ally of Donald Trump, vowed to defund the federal police over the indictment of the former president.

Talking to Fox News on Sunday, the Ohio congressman and chair of the House Judiciary Committee said that Republicans will look into defunding the agencies responsible for investigating Trump and ordering his indictment, which was voted for last week by a Manhattan grand jury over the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Trump denies any wrongdoing, calling the investigation a political "witch hunt."

"We control the power of the purse, and we're going to have to look at the appropriation process and limit funds going to some of these agencies, particularly the ones who are engaged in the most egregious behavior," Jordan said in an interview with Fox News's Maria Bartiromo on Sunday Morning Futures after being asked what his committee can do against the alleged "weaponization of government."

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) speaks before the arrival of former President Donald Trump at a rally at Dayton International Airport on November 7, 2022 in Vandalia, Ohio. Jordan called for defunding the DOJ and the FBI over investigations into Donald Trump. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

"So, the DOJ [Department of Justice] and the FBI?" said Bartiromo, seeking clarity.

"Yes," responded Jordan. "And what I'd really like, frankly, I'd really like for the government to stay out of the election process."

Jordan has long been a loud opponent of calls for defunding state police in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in 2020 and the protests that followed. But the Ohio Republican's support for law and order does not apparently extend to cover federal law enforcement agencies, which he argued in the Fox News interview have been "turned against the very same people they are supposed to serve."

Calls for defunding the police in 2020 and the following years have included both ideas about completely eliminating the police and proposals to reshuffle funds now dedicated to state police and limit officers' functions.

In January, Jordan condemned calls to defund the police, saying that the attacks against law enforcement discourage "enough good people" from becoming police officers. "We shouldn't have this whole attitude about defund the police," he said on NBC. "That's a problem when you're trying to attract the best to protect our communities."

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee hasn't been the only Republican to call for defunding the Department of Justice and the FBI in the wake of the investigation into Trump.

Last month, Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, another loyal supporter of the former president, called for "defunding some of these bad agencies—the FBI, the DOJ," saying she won't vote for legislation to fund the government unless these agencies' funds are cut.

"I've made up my mind. I will NOT vote for a budget that funds the two tiered justice system in America," she tweeted on March 17. "The Democrat controlled DOJ and FBI top brass are political and have weaponized their power against the right to persecute everyone with conservative values and aligned with Trump, but refuses to prosecute the left for their crimes. The Republican controlled budget must defund the two-tiered justice system and reign in the politically weaponized DOJ and FBI, or I will not vote for it."

The investigation that led to Trump's indictment last week was conducted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, which makes the probe a state-level case. But the New York investigation isn't the only ongoing probe into the former president, who is also being investigated for the possible mishandling of classified documents at his Mar-A-Lago residence and over his role in the Jan. 6 riots. Last year, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed the Justice Department's former public integrity chief Jack Smith to oversee the DOJ's criminal investigations of Trump.

I will NOT vote for a budget that funds the two tiered justice system in America.

The Democrat controlled DOJ and FBI top brass are political and have weaponized their power against the right to persecute everyone with conservative values and aligned with… — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) March 17, 2023

In early March, Florida congressman Matt Gaetz also called to "defund and get rid of" agencies including "the FBI, the CDC, ATF, DOJ, every last one of them if they do not come to heel" during the Conservative Political Action Conference, as reported by USA Today.

Newsweek has emailed Greene's and Gaetz's teams and called Jordan's team for comment.