Fox News "The Story with Martha McCallum" - Transcript Interview with Jim Jordan
Interview
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Also here tonight, Republican Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio. He's the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee. Let's talk about where we are in terms of shoring up America's cities and what we can do from Capitol Hill?
REP. JIM JORDAN, R-OHIO: Well, the Democrats you said earlier the Democrats are alarmed by a federal presence. The cops here want the federal presence. You heard that from the Police Chief in Chicago where 49 officers as you pointed out were attacked. So for goodness sakes, look, the Mayor of Portland said this was improving until the federal - this has been 53 days that they've done that.
That's 7.5 weeks of rioting, looting, violence, attacks a police officer, destruction of property and - and they - they don't want any help. They just want to let this continue to happen to their constituents, to their business owners in the - in their city. I mean this is scary to me and the idea that this is somehow President Trump's fault.
I mean we went back and checked Harris. You know the last time there was a Republican Mayor elected in Portland? 1956. I mean that that was long before you were born and it was even before I was born so this site - every - every day - every member of the city council in Portland, Democrat.
No Republican so how was this a Republican problem. This is scary what's going on. What Democrat mayors, Democratic governors are allowing to happen to their cities, to their constituents is frightening and I know that these cops just like the police chief in Chicago said, the officers certainly like federal help there to have them deal with the situation that they've been countering now for 53 days in the city of Portland.
FAULKNER: You know I am curious because it would seem that all of this started as a conversation that the nation was ready to have about police reform and we've gone far afield from that. I interviewed Senator Scott, Tim Scott on my special last night on all of this and you know, the thing that confuses me now as we get back to work and it's Monday, a fresh new week is that Democrats have said that they really want to put off that police reform and they want to put off a deeper conversation about you know, potentially making things different and better.
How do you is a Republican on the Hill go forward with that? That's a lot of pressure on everybody if you have to sit with this scene, replicating over and over, where we dealt with one autonomous zone, then we had several.
JORDAN: No, it's sad and Tim Scott, Senator Scott's done tremendous work and he truly wanted to get to a consensus, get to good legislation that helped protect law enforcement but also dealt with the situation, the tragedy that took place in Minneapolis and he had a good bill.
We offered during the mark up on the House side in the Judiciary Committee, we offered on the Republican side 12 thoughtful good amendments. They didn't take a single one of them because this was about politics for the Democrats. That's the scary thing so I wish we could get to some real good legislation that helps - that helps police departments, helps these communities but they don't want to do it.
I mean you think about this. They - they won't stop the rioting and the looting but they'll stop kids from going to school. They won't stop the rioting and the looting but they'll stop people from going to church. They won't stop the rioting and the looting, they'll stop people from attending a loved one's funeral.
So for Democrats, this is everything and that's the scary thing and most Americans with just good common sense say what is going on. It is time for this to end. It is time to quit the blaming and step up as Democrat mayors, Democrat governors in these respective states and cities to step up and take responsibility and stop it and hold people accountable for the wrong doing that they are seeing and doing every single day.
FAULKNER: You know it's interesting, we're seeing people get on the same page among the citizenry and we don't want to break everything around race and culture but I just bring this Fox news poll to mind from earlier today. Blacks and whites are based on the same 80 and 81 percent on the issue of law and order and what's happening in our streets today.
JORDAN: Of course.
FAULKNER: That the critical nature. We are in it together.
JORDAN: Yes, we sure are.
FAULKNER: Congressman Jordan, thank you very much for your time and your perspective.
JORDAN: Thank you Harris. You bet. Take care.
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