One of the most powerful positions
in the U.S. government is Speaker of the House.
The speaker has full control over what the House votes on,
and they're second in line to be president.
And on top of that, they even get their own private bathroom.
No one else in Congress has that, except Ted Cruz. Right?
But that's just because he pulls his pants all the way down
when he pees, and no one wants to see that.
So, right now, right now, the House speaker is Paul Ryan.
But he's quitting in January,
because he wants to spend more time
with his backwards hat collection.
And now people try to tell him that a backwards hat collection
was just a regular hat collection worn backwards,
but he wouldn't listen-- this country is so divided.
But anyway, Ryan leaving means House Republicans
will need to choose a new leader,
and while they have many options,
there's one name that's getting more attention than most.
Congressman Jim Jordan says he will run
to replace the retiring Paul Ryan as Speaker of the House.
Jordan is a staunch Trump ally...
Congress has got to do a better job,
and that's why I want to be the next Speaker of the House.
We got to focus on doing what we told the American people
we were gonna do: delivering on healthcare,
delivering on border security,
on immigration, and all those other issues.
If you become the speaker, I mean, look,
I will support you for speaker.
Whoa.
A Sean Hannity endorsement.
Yeah. You know, even if you've never heard of Jim Jordan,
you know that if Sean Hannity rolls with someone,
-they're not a great person. -(laughter)
Yeah. If Hannity started hanging out with Paul Rudd,
I'd be like, "There's something buried in Paul Rudd's backyard.
We should check that out."
Now, even before Jordan announced his run for speaker,
he was already in the news
for trying to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
Right? Who's in charge of the Mueller investigation.
Some people say Jordan is doing that to protect President Trump,
but personally, I think he wants to impeach Rosenstein.
Because a few weeks ago, he owned Jim Jordan at a hearing.
Did you threaten staffers on the House Intelligence Committee?
Media reports indicate you did.
Media reports are mistaken.
Sometimes, but this is what they said:
"Having the nation's number one law enforcement officer
"threaten to subpoena your calls and e-mails
is downright chilling."
Did you threaten to subpoena their calls and e-mails?
No, sir, and there's no way to subpoena phone calls.
Well, I mean, I'm just saying.
(laughter)
(cheering and applause)
He was just like...
"No, sir, there's no way to subpoena phone calls.
Mwah."
Do you know how humiliating it is
to get smacked down on C-SPAN?
'Cause you realize now there's retired librarians
across the country who were watching that like,
"Goddam, that bitch got dunked on."
But while Jordan tries to get rid of Rosenstein,
he may need to watch his own back,
because before he was in Congress, he worked
as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State,
and we're just now learning that one of his trademark moves
may have been enabling sexual abuse.
More than 100 Ohio State alumni have now come forward
with firsthand accounts of sexual misconduct
by a former university doctor.
The case has gotten a lot of attention recently
after Ohio Republican Congressman Jim Jordan
was accused of knowing about, but not reporting,
abuse committed by Strauss while Jordan worked
as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State.
Jordan has denied any knowledge.
Wow, turning a blind eye to rampant sexual abuse
of the kids you're supposed to be protecting.
I'm sorry, it doesn't get more scumbag than that.
And if these allegations are true,
then Jim Jordan is basically Joe Paterno, part two.
Which sounds like a sequel nobody would want to see.
It's like Titanic, Part Two.
It would be so awkward because Rose would open the door
and see Jack, and she'd be like, "Jack, you're alive."
He's be like, "Yeah, and I've been measuring doors,
"and I'm pretty certain I could have fit.
I, uh... I'm-I'm pretty certain."
Now, look, obviously, these are just allegations,
but Congressman Jordan's defense doesn't sound very convincing.
I mean, I never saw, never heard of,
never was told about any type of abuse.
Take a listen to, uh, DiSabato,
from one of the statements he made earlier this week.
I know Jim knew about, uh, the--
what I call the deviant sexual atmosphere
-that we were exposed to. -How do you know?
-How do you know? -Well, uh, we all had conversations.
It was something that we would discuss on a regular basis,
mainly with nervous banter,
locker-room banter.
Conversations in a locker-room are a lot different
than, um, allegations of abuse or-or reported abuse to us.
Wait, wait. Hold up, hold up.
So they basically told Jordan about the abuse,
and he didn't think it counted
because they were in a locker-room?
Like, what is it with these guys and locker-rooms?
Oh, it just feels like nothing you say matters in there.
Like, you know what I feel like I'm gonna do?
I'm just gonna start carrying a locker-room around with me.
Just... Yeah, then I can say whatever I want.
I'll just be in the streets like, (bleep) the police.
And they'll be like, "What did you say?
I'll be like, "Nah-uh, locker-room.
Locker-room."
(applause)
And now, believe it or not, believe it or not,
a lot of House Republicans are standing behind Jim Jordan.
Yeah, maybe, maybe it's because they've already seen much worse.
Back in the 2000s, a man named Dennis Hastert
was the Republican House Speaker,
and he later admitted to molesting children
when he was a wrestling coach.
And he was convicted for paying hush money to cover it up.
So at the very worst, Jim Jordan is an upgrade from that.
And frankly, I think that's what he should run on.
NARRATOR: Dennis Hastert was an admitted pedophile.
He abused multiple young boys
and tried to hide his horrific actions with payoffs.
-Jim Jordan is only accused -(patriotic music plays)
of enabling sexual abuse.
And the victims weren't children.
He is the progress we need.
Jim Jordan,
not as bad as a pedophile.