Rep. Jim Jordan discusses his new book Do What You Said You Would Do, tracing its title to a constituent's desk plaque about keeping promises. He reflects on major investigations including the IRS targeting conservatives and Trump's first impeachment, and argues Trump kept his word more than any recent president while criticizing what he calls government overreach by the Justice Department and deep state.
14-plus years now. I was elected in 2006 in a down year for Republicans, frankly. It was only about 13 or 14 in that class on the Republican side, so been in Congress a while. And so we talk about, I write about that in the book, you know, some of the key investigations I've been a part of over the years. But yeah, 14-plus years.
Would you have been able to write this book after, let's say, 2 years?
No, no, not even close. I mean, the nature of my committee assignments— I'm on the Oversight Committee and now I have the privilege of being the top Republican on the, uh, the ranking member on the, on the Judiciary Committee. So those, those committees, it's, it's, it's one of the things I write a lot about is the big investigations we've been involved with where, where government came after Americans. The IRS investigation where they went after people who think like you and I do and, and, and targeted them on the the on-the-lookout list that the IRS had. And then I talk about my time on the Benghazi Select Committee and that investigation, what happened there. And then of course, more recently, the impeachment of President Trump, the first round of impeachment that was just so ridiculous what they did and the lack of due process and everything else. So I write a lot about those and take the reader behind the scenes into those key investigations, which didn't happen after a couple years. Wow.
Well, for that alone, I mean, just all of the investigations, every major one you've been a part of, for that alone, I want to just tell my listeners it's worth getting this book. The book is up, by the way, folks, at my website, DennisPrager.com. Jim Jordan, well known to all of you. And it's Do What You Said You Would Do. Why did you title it that? Do what you would say you would do?
Well, I always say I think we make this job too complicated. Um, you know, in the history of our great country, uh, the greatest nation ever, only about 12,000 people have had the opportunity to serve in the United States Congress, have been given the privilege to, to represent folks back home in the Congress. And so I always say, like, if you put your name on the ballot and if the folks back home elect you to go serve, do what you told them you were going to do, because after all, that's why they elected you. And, and Don't make it more complicated than it is. Now what happens all too often is people get to Washington and there's all kinds of people telling you a million different reasons why you can't do what you said you were going to do and what you were elected to do. And that's, that's the biggest problem in that town. So particularly for Republicans, I think, over time. And so we use that— that was actually a constituent of mine. I went in to raise some money from him when I was running for office, and he had that on, on the front of his desk, and he gave me one of it. And it was just the first letter of each of those words, do what you said you would do. And that's where we got the title. And I talk a lot about in the book, Dennis, about President Trump, who did more what he said he was gonna do than any president, certainly in my lifetime. And I talk about the relationship that developed over time that he and I have and what a good man he is. And I wish, I say this probably every speech I've given, I wish every single American could spend time with President Trump because If you, and I'm sure you have, but if you do, you cannot help but like him. And you see how genuinely he wants to help the country and fight for the things he told the American people he was gonna fight for when they put him in the job.
Donald Trump has been as smeared by the media, but obviously in greater proportion, as Kyle Rittenhouse has been.
Yep, yep.
That's all they do is smear. Joe Biden includes a video of Kyle Rittenhouse in a tweet last year about white supremacists, and the press says nothing, nothing about it.
I know. Yep. Yeah, you're so right. In fact, the mainstream press is— everything they talk about now, everything they do is just— it's false. It's a lie. It's just bad. It's about dividing. It's— but I tell my colleagues, I mean, I've said this to a bunch of my guys, particularly guys in the Freedom Caucus. I say, guys, if the mainstream press isn't saying something bad about you, you ain't doing anything any good.
Maybe you— oh, are you a kindred spirit? Oh my God, that is so true.
I know what they do to you. Yeah, I know what they do to you. I know what they— in fact, I had this conversation with the president one time. I said, Mr. President, I know what the press does to me, how they lie about me, and MSNBC and CNN, all stuff. I said, but you get it 1,000 times worse. And you get it every second of every day. And it was funny because it's a conversation a few years ago, it was back during the Mueller investigation, all this stuff. And it was a little, little break and a little pause. And the president goes, well, Jim, what are you going to do? Go over in the corner, get in a fetal position, start sucking your thumb. He goes, we got to fight back. I agree, Mr. President. And, and that's why people appreciate you because they try to smear you and you just fight back with the truth. And I just gave a speech to a group here in our district just a few minutes ago. And I said, think about it. The left controls everything. The left controls big tech. The left controls big media. The left controls big corporations. Left controls big sports. They control the White House, the Senate, the Congress, the bureaucracy, Hollywood, higher education. But they don't control we the people. And we the people, which is the first 3 words that start this amazing place we call America, we're allowed to push back. And when we do, the truth gets out. We saw it in Virginia. The truth got out there. And Glenn Youngkin's gonna be the next president, or excuse me, the next governor of Virginia. So this is how we have to fight back, is just not be afraid, communicate the truth, even when they're gonna lie about us and attack. And you do that, you're a great example of how that's supposed to work.
Well, coming from you, it's a big deal, 'cause that's exactly what you do. Tell me, do you agree, and did you know this before you went to Congress, that there is a swamp in Washington, a deep state?
Uh, not even close. I mean, you knew there was, you know, this, this, uh, this tendency because I was in the state house and state senate in Ohio, but, but you never thought it could be near as bad as we saw. And I certainly didn't think that our institutions like the Justice Department, like the IRS, would weaponize government to go after people they disagreed with politically. And, and it's probably what frightens me the most is, is what— well, let's just use the example today. What the what the Merrick Garland Justice Department is doing to parents. We had a whistleblower come forward last week and gave us the email that was sent out on October 20th to FBI agents around the country, special agents in charge all across the country. And they talked about putting a threat tag, this distinction, this label on designating parents as basically a terrorist threat for simply speaking out against this racist Hate America curriculum that's being taught. And And the very next day, excuse me, the very next day, Merrick Garland on October 21st tells us, oh no, no, we're not treating parents as domestic terrorists. I'm like, you got to read the email that went out the day before, Mr. Attorney General. So he needs to come back and testify to us. So this is the thing that scared me the most, that I had no idea was happening. And but yet over the last few, several years, we've seen where the IRS did it, where the Trump, uh, where the Obama Justice Department went after President Trump and his campaign. And now we're seeing the Biden Justice Department go after moms and dads. This is the most frightening thing I see happening.
All right, everybody, the book is Do What You Said You Would Do: Fighting for Freedom in the Swamp. Congressman Jim Jordan, I strongly, strongly urge you to get the book. I know you have one segment. I thank you for your time, and I'd love to do it again.
We will. Thanks, Dennis. Keep up the great work.
Yes. Boy, he's a fan.
Yeah.
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