Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) went on CNBC this morning to talk about Jimmy Kimmel’s return to ABC—and ended up defending Donald Trump’s latest threat against the network.
In a Truth Social post, Trump fumed about Kimmel’s reinstatement and bragged that “last time I went after them, they gave me $16 million. This one sounds even more lucrative.” CNBC host Andrew Ross Sorkin read the quote directly to Jordan and asked if it sounded like coercion.
Jordan’s response?
“Well, I mean, I don’t think you can say this is pressure from the government because ABC put him back on.”
When pressed further—“But that does sound like pressure from the government, right?”—Jordan finally conceded:
“Um, I guess you can say maybe some.”
That’s about as far as the House Judiciary Chair was willing to go. Instead of condemning a former president openly threatening a media network with financial retaliation, Jordan brushed it off as “maybe some” pressure.
The exchange highlights the GOP’s willingness to minimize Trump’s blatant strong-arm tactics against the press—moves that critics warn undermine both free speech and the independence of American media.
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