Unfortunately, the Urbana Republican, who represents portions of Lorain County, views investigatory power as a way to strike at his enemies rather than embracing the purpose for which it was intended: providing accountability and good government.

Just as bad, Jordan’s insistence on oversight evaporates whenever he and his allies fall under scrutiny.

His hypocrisy has been on full display in his refusal to cooperate with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters. They were bent on disrupting the certification of the electoral votes that made Joe Biden the victor in the 2020 presidential election.

In the portion of the committee’s report released Monday, Jordan was described as “a significant player” in Trump’s strategy to void an election he clearly lost. Jordan was involved in numerous meetings and conversations in the run-up to Jan. 6.

Even after the mob stormed the Capitol, assaulted police officers, terrorized our elected representatives and defaced public property, there was Jordan objecting to the election results. He also spoke to both Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Trump himself that dark day.

Jordan is therefore a key witness, which is why the committee was justified in seeking to interview him.

Despite insisting that he had done nothing wrong and had “nothing to hide,” Jordan refused to meet voluntarily with the committee, which he had voted against creating. He then refused to comply with the committee’s subpoena.

If Jordan truly believed in oversight, he would have cooperated. He didn’t, which is why the committee rightly referred him and three other Republican members of Congress who likewise refused to cooperate with the investigation to the House Ethics Committee.

“If left unpunished, such behavior undermines Congress’s longstanding power to investigate in support of its lawmaking authority and suggests that Members of Congress may disregard legal obligations that apply to ordinary citizens,” the report said.

Jordan’s spokesman, Russell Dye, dismissed the referral as “just another partisan and political stunt.”

No. It wasn’t.

Imagine how Jordan would react if someone refused to cooperate with one of the many investigations he intends to mount when he becomes chairman of the House Judiciary Committee in January.

Whether a congressional committee can compel a sitting member to testify before it is a thorny legal issue.

What shouldn’t be in dispute, however, is that a violent assault on the seat of American democracy designed to prevent the peaceful transfer of power demanded an exhaustive investigation. The details unearthed by the committee showed the extent to which some people were willing to go to subvert the will of the voters.

Whether you believe Trump’s words at the rally caused some in the crowd to assault the Capitol likely shades your view of the Jan. 6 committee’s recommendation to the Justice Department that Trump face criminal charges.

Prosecutors should review the evidence and decide what, if any, charges are warranted.

What can’t be disputed, however, is that an angry crowd gathered in Washington that January day at Trump’s behest. The root cause of their anger was his false claim that widespread fraud cost him the election.

It’s a lie Trump continues to repeat to this day, even as he seeks to return to the White House.

U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the committee’s vice chair, was correct when she declared that Trump “is unfit for any office.” Whether anything comes of the referral of Jordan to the Ethics Committee is an open question.

The Ethics Committee describes itself on its website as “unique” because its membership is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. Yet it is notoriously slow-moving and rarely takes significant action.

It’s also fair to wonder if any of the Republican members would be willing to go against Jordan and the three other members of their party, including would-be House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. They saw the political price that courageous Republicans paid after they rightly voted to impeach Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 assault. Some members of Congress might feel a sense of shame at even being referred for an ethics investigation.

Given his spokesman’s reaction, we doubt Jordan is one of them.

— Elyria Chronicle (Ohio) Telegram