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Of Course, Matt Gaetz And Jim Jordan Were Total Nuisances During The Hearing To Determine Whether To Hold Steve Bannon In Contempt

Steve Bannon is awfully close to being hunted down by U.S. Marshals. Former president Donald J. Trump’s former Chief Strategist has defied a subpoena to provide documents and answer questions about his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. The committee unanimously voted that he should be held in contempt. The matter now heads to the House, and on Wednesday they held a Rules Committee hearing about what to do next. And during it, two of the legislative body’s Trumpiest members — Matt Gaetz and Jim Jordan — did what they do best: acted like total nuisances.

The two representatives — once widely dubbed as Beavis and Butt-Head — were grilled separately during the hearing, though both had the same objective: derail the occasion with far right talking points, false equivalencies, misinformation, and general shoutiness.

Let’s take Gaetz first. Among the many claims he tried to push forward was that no one cares about what Steve Bannon said on his podcast the day before the Capitol siege, when he told listeners to “stap in” for something “very dramatic.”

But members of the House asked him questions anyway. His biggest foe for the day was Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, a longtime constitutional scholar and member of the committee. He and Gaetz got into a shouting match, with Raskin eventually telling him that one line he fed him “might work on Steve Bannon’s podcast, but that’s not going to work in the Rules Committee of the United States House of Representatives.”

Raskin also asked him, point blank, if he believed Joe Biden won the 2020 election, which of course he tried to dodge.

Rep. Ed Perlumutter, of Colorado, also gave him hell.

Meanwhile, Jim Jordan tried to draw a false equivalency between an assault on a federal building, inspired by sitting Republican politicians, and nation-wide protests that either got out of hand or were exacerbated by aggressive police.

Jordan also once again tried to claim he had no idea how many times he spoke with a sitting president during arguably the darkest day of his tenure.

Jordan was big mad that subpoenas had been issued for those with connections to the Jan. 6 violence, although maybe he was jealous he hadn’t been summoned (yet).

Raskin also grilled Jordan.

Eventually Rep. Norma Torres, of California, dropped some excellent shade on both Gaetz and Jordan, referencing both of their biggest ongoing scandals, which each involve sexual misconduct.

Both congressmen have a habit of derailing hearings, but some argued it was clear that by opening themselves up to questioning, they were both in over their heads.

But of course, their antics on Wednesday were why they weren’t part of the committee.

The House will vote on Thursday whether or not to hold Bannon in criminal contempt. In the meantime, Gaetz may join him, albeit possibly in a different prison.