Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) could be risking “jail time if he defies the House select committee and refuses to talk if they subpoena him, according to former U.S. Attorney Barabra McQuade.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “The Sunday Show,” McQuade said that, while it would be “unprecedented,” Jordan could end up in jail because he “doesn’t “have a leg to stand on” to fight a subpoena.
“I think at some point if he continues to fight, then the committee will demand that he come by issuing a subpoena. At that point his options are to be held in contempt, which can include jail time if he is prosecuted for that crime; so the same path that we have seen for Steve Bannon,” the former Justice Department official told host Jonathan Capehart.
“So I think it is going to be difficult for him to manage, because, unlike Steve Bannon, he’s an elected official,” she added.
“At some point, I think his refusal to testify could impact his candidacy down the road,” she added. “Of course, he represents a base that perhaps would see that sort of defiance as being more attractive rather than less attractive. He’s clearly somebody who has information. I think if I put somebody on the stand with that kind of evasive answer, I would use that as evidence of consciousness of guilt. I want to know what they discussed that day, before that day, and after that day.”
During the segment, McQuade suggested that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) could also be subpoenaed.
Watch the discussion below via MSNBC:
