Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) humiliated Rep. Daniel S. Goldman (D-NY), the former impeachment attorney, during a House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing on Thursday. Jordan’s probing questions revealed Goldman’s ignorance of and lack of authority on the issue.
Jordan started up by questioning Goldman about his prior remarks regarding government speech censorship. Jordan soon provided evidence to refute Goldman’s assertion that the government had ever instructed Twitter to restrict any speech. He handed Twitter a letter from the Department of Justice ordering them to take down certain virus-related content.
“I would like to request unanimous approval to add the following email from Clarke Humphrey, Executive Office of the Presidency, into the record.
On January 23, 2021, the Biden administration will begin. ‘Hey, folks,’ — this is posted to Twitter — ‘Hey, folks wanted to’ — I use the term ‘Mr.,’ they use ‘Mr.,’ Mr. Goldman just used — ‘wanted to flag the below tweet, and then asking if we can start rolling on the process for having it removed, ASAP,’ Jordan read.
Can you read the tweet that it refers to, for the sake of the record, as I haven’t seen it? Jordan was asked by Goldman.
“I don’t have the tweet here with me,” Jordan admitted.
“Shocking,” responded Goldman.
It wasn’t even required to use the original tweet to illustrate the point. Jordan had little trouble locating proof that the Biden administration had requested Twitter to block someone who spoke out against the Biden administration’s preferred narrative, even though Goldman said there was no evidence of the government trying to censor lawful speech.
Jordan later discovered the tweet, which suggested a possible connection between Hank Aaron’s passing and the COVID vaccination, but it wasn’t enough to appease Goldman, who then began to fool around.
The guy was making the point that Twitter was never officially instructed to remove anything by the government, Jordan said.
“No, I stated lawful speech specifically. Legal speech,” stated Goldman. “The First Amendment does not—is not an absolute right to free speech.”
Goldman attempted to deflect by claiming that he was unaware of that particular episode while clearly visibly agitated. Jordan didn’t let him off the hook, though, and persisted in questioning him about his ignorance of government censorship.
Jordan has already garnered attention for his direct questions at congressional hearings. He has a reputation as one of Congress’ best interrogators thanks to his no-nonsense style.
Jordan’s humiliation of Goldman is simply one more illustration of why it’s crucial for witnesses to be well-prepared before testifying before Congress. Jordan and other knowledgeable questioners will swiftly point out any contradictions or ignorance.