Witness for the prosecution

Much like the insurrection itself, the evolution of the Jan. 6 commission transpired right in front of our eyes. The decisions last week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to bar U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan from serving on the panel is the correct one. Pelosi barring U.S. Rep. Jim West, too, is correct, same as her decision to appoint U.S. Reps Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both Republicans, to the committee. Jordan photo/ERIN CALDWELL If you're keeping score: Pelosi 4; House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy 0... a big, fat zero. "Maybe Republicans can't handle the truth," Pelosi said. You think? The best thing right now is the sheer, overwhelming imbalance of power that exists between Pelosi and Jordan. He's so small in her presence, in the shadow of her power, yipping and yipping his talking points like he's on Fox News having a happy chat with Maria Bartiromo. Telling big lies, little lies, all lies, void of an authentic moment. We all watched it unfold. At Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on Jan. 6 his supporters turned into an angry, homicidal mob. He told them to go to the U.S. Capitol and "fight like hell" or they would not have a country anymore. He told them to go to the Capitol and stop the 2020 election from being certified. "Hang Pence, hang Pence," they chanted as they breached security and drove to the chambers and offices of representatives and senators. "We're coming for you, Nancy." They weren't "a loving crowd." It wasn't a "normal tourist day." Violent men beat police officers with flagpoles, with fire extinguishers, sprayed them with bear spray and tear gas; they were not hugging anyone. The hand-to-hand combat with police went on for hours. It was all Donald Trump. We all watched, with our own eyes. Two months later Trump said this: "It was a loving crowd, too, by the way. There was a lot of love." It wasn't a loving crowd. It was a violent, white racist mob that attacked our government. A mob Trump incited. The cultish love for his bloodthirsty ways that people like Jordan and McCarthy continue to show Trump is nauseating and infuriating. These men are not leaders. The continued groveling for the disgraced ex-president's endorsement we see from Senate Republican candidates Jane Timken, Mike Gibbons, Bernie Moreno and Josh Mandel and others causes the same reaction. This should be all the information voters need to reject their candidacies; none of them reach a minimal standard. Please, grow some backbone. Stand up straight, your mother would say. Show some common sense. Stop groveling. Jordan and West should be called as witnesses to testify before the Jan. 6 committee. What did Jordan know and when did he know it, about the insurrection, the attack on our government, are questions committee members must ask him. Did he or did any staff members participate in the insurrection, in any way, before, during or after Jan. 6? Under subpoena, under oath. Jim Jordan should testify before this committee. For as long as it takes to get at the truth. Jordan should answer, as a witness. * The Jan. 6 commission's investigation of the insurrection gets underway Tuesday in Washington. As of late Monday, Jordan had not been subpoenaed to testify.