Amid the ongoing criminal trial of former President Donald Trump, Fox News host Maria Bartiromo confronted Representative Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican and House Judiciary Committee chairman, about the hush money case that Trump is facing. Trump is the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee and is the first former president in U.S. history to stand trial in a criminal case. The charges against him relate to falsifying business records in connection to hush money paid to adult-film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has maintained his innocence and believes the case is politically motivated.
During an interview on Sunday Morning Futures on Fox News, Bartiromo questioned Jordan about the ongoing criminal trial against Trump and the Judiciary Committee’s report that claims the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation is politically motivated. The report, titled “An Anatomy of a Political Prosecution: The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Vendetta Against President Donald J. Trump,” highlights Congress’s interest in preventing politically-motivated prosecutions of current and former presidents by local prosecutors in popularly elected jurisdictions like New York County.
Bartiromo expressed frustration over congressional investigations that seem to lead nowhere, as seen in the case of impeachment inquiries into President Joe Biden. House Republicans, led by Jordan and others, have been investigating the Biden family for over a year, alleging that the president benefitted from his son Hunter Biden’s foreign business dealings. The White House and Hunter Biden’s lawyers have denied these allegations, with Democrats criticizing the GOP’s impeachment inquiries for lacking concrete evidence against the president.
In response to Bartiromo’s questions, Jordan outlined legislative efforts aimed at addressing the issue, such as a proposed measure that would shield presidents from state prosecutions. While acknowledging that the legislative branch cannot put anyone in jail, Jordan emphasized the importance of getting the facts out there and looking at potential legislative solutions. He expressed doubts about the Biden administration’s Department of Justice pursuing the necessary investigations, especially in cases involving political motivations.
Recent polls have shown a decrease in the number of Americans who believe President Biden was involved in his son’s business dealings, with a significant shift seen among Republican voters. A Harvard CAPS/Harris survey conducted in March revealed that 56 percent of respondents believed Biden participated in Hunter Biden’s business, a slight decrease from the previous month. Despite these findings, the debate surrounding political investigations and their implications for elected officials continues to be a contentious issue in American politics.
