McMorris Rodgers tells Inlander she is ‘open’ to Jim Jordan as Speaker

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers said this week she has not ruled out support for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in his bid for Speaker of the House.

In an interview with the Inlander published online Friday, McMorris Rodgers said she was “staying open” on the issue of a replacement for Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who announced in April that he would not seek re-election.

“I have not made a commitment for who I will be supporting for leadership,” she said, noting that she had spoken with both of the principal candidates for the position.

Jordan is vying with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., to replace Ryan.

Jordan has cast himself as a politician in the mold of President Donald Trump, and has been praised by the president in turn. McCarthy has the support of more centrist Republicans, including Ryan.

In recent weeks, Jordan has come under scrutiny after former wrestlers at Ohio State University – where Jordan served as a coach – raised allegations that Jordan knew about, and ignored, reports of sex abuse.

Multiple wrestlers have said the reported abuses by former OSU athletic doctor Richard Strauss, believed to have occurred over a period of two decades, were widely discussed, and that there is little chance Jordan would not have known about them.

Jordan has denied the claims.

McMorris Rodgers told the Inlander that she takes those reports seriously, and noted that an investigation is ongoing.

“I look forward to hearing those findings,” she said.