Congressman Jim Jordan went on television this weekend to defend President Donald Trump against ties to Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex abuse scandal. But while Jordan insisted Trump was innocent, his remarks drew a flood of criticism that pointed back to his own controversial history.
Jordan, a Republican from Ohio and one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress, referenced newly released edited transcripts of conversations with Epstein’s longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell. To him, the documents proved Trump’s name should be cleared.
“This confirms what we all knew: President Trump didn’t do anything wrong,” Jordan said during the interview. “This transcript confirms that. There’s nothing there based on this interview with [Ghislaine] Maxwell.”
Almost immediately, the backlash began online. Commentators, activists, and officials highlighted Jordan’s past as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University, where multiple athletes later accused staff of sexual abuse. Jordan has denied that he knowingly ignored the misconduct, but the allegations have followed him for years.
Progressive group MeidasTouch wrote, “It’s not the first time Jim Jordan has covered for sexual abusers. The Republican Party is no longer functioning as a political party. It’s a child sex trafficking and sexual abuse ring. Reprehensible.”
Navy veteran Jared Ryan Sears weighed in: “So the guy who looked the other way while the players he was coaching were sexually abused is commenting on the statements of an incarcerated, convicted sex trafficker about her friend, another sexual predator, who happens to also be the only person who can give her a pardon? What world are we living in?”
Others echoed similar frustration. A user posting as Colorado Moderate asked, “So we’re just going to trust the proven liar over the victims and their families? I want Chairman Trump to release the full list so we can see all the Dems and GOP members who touched children.”
Liberal commentator Brian Tyler Cohen added sarcasm: “If you can trust anyone when it comes to exposing pedophilia, it’s Jim Jordan.” Ex-prosecutor Ron Filipkowski said, “This man is an expert on looking the other way on sex abuse incidents. I absolutely cannot believe they brought this guy on to talk about this subject.”
PatriotTakes, which monitors right-wing extremism online, summed it up bluntly: “Sketchy wrestling coach clears Trump.” While Jordan tried to present the transcripts as a definitive defense of Trump, the reaction showed how his own history continues to shape the way his statements are received.