WASHINGTON, D.C. — When Republicans take back control of the House of Representatives in January, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan is expected to become chairperson of the powerful House Judiciary Committee.

Jordan is one of former President Donald Trump’s closest allies on Capitol Hill. He’s already making clear he will use his influential new perch to investigate President Joe Biden and his administration.

In a press conference last week, House Republicans outlined their plans for congressional oversight once they regain the majority.

Jordan, who is set to play a leading role in it all, helped explain that they want to investigate Biden and his son Hunter’s business deals, examine whether the Justice Department is too political, and scrutinize the Department of Homeland Security’s handling of the southern border.

“I think there are all kinds of questions that need to be answered. And we’re determined to get there,” Jordan said at the event.

Jordan became nationally known for defending Trump through two impeachments with his intense interrogation of witnesses and for arguing Trump’s case on the campaign trail.

In an interview with Spectrum News last Friday, Jordan said investigating the Justice Department will be priority number one when he achieves his long-standing goal in January of chairing the Judiciary Committee. 

“America is not America if you have a Justice Department that’s political,” Jordan said. “And it’s not Jim Jordan who’s alleging that it’s political. It’s 14 FBI agents who have come to us and told us that’s the case. They’ve come to us as whistleblowers.”

Jordan has already released a 1,000-page report based on those whistleblowers’ concerns. He believes it shows the DOJ unfairly targets Republicans, from Trump down to average Americans.

What does Jordan hope to accomplish in terms of actual reform?

“Well, the first thing is, you have no chance to reform it if you don’t let the American people see exactly what’s going on,” he said.

Democrats call it a distraction and say voters instead want Congress to focus on the economy.

Jordan also wants to shine a spotlight on the record numbers of migrants crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.

He claims the Biden administration has overseen “the intentional surrender” of the border in a “premeditated fashion.”

“I don’t know why they would do it in a premeditated, intentional fashion, but there’s no other—any rational or logical person has to reach that conclusion when you look at the numbers and the volume of people who are just coming into our nation,” Jordan told Spectrum News.

As chairperson, Jordan can issue subpoenas and call for testimony and documents from government officials. He’s already written to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding his cooperation.

Notably, Jordan has not complied with a subpoena he received from the Jan. 6th Committee to sit down for an interview and provide information about his conversations with Trump and White House officials leading up to, and on, the day the U.S. Capitol was attacked.

Spectrum News asked Jordan why, once he becomes chair, anyone should take seriously his requests when he didn’t comply with the Jan. 6th Committee’s.

“Well, for me, that committee was not a committee organized in a way—it was organized in a way that has never happened in the history of our country,” Jordan said.

He argued the panel is unfairly structured, with seven Democrats and two Republicans who are critical of Trump.

Democrats initially blocked Jordan from serving on the committee because of his rhetoric, including his support of Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Republicans then rejected an offer to name other members to serve on the panel.

As for not complying with his subpoena, Jordan said, “We never actually said no.”

“We sent them letters and laid out our concerns, and that’s where it stood. They never got back to us,” he said.

Does Jordan worry people may try to do the same thing to the Judiciary Committee that he did with the Jan. 6th Committee?

“It may happen. It may happen. I mean, you got guys like you that like to ask about it, so it might happen. I don’t know,” Jordan said. “What I know is we have a duty to the American people to get the facts and the truth.”

Jordan fully supports Trump’s third White House bid and was back to defending him this weekend.

In an interview on Fox News on Sunday, Jordan criticized Attorney General Merrick Garland for appointing a new special counsel to oversee investigations into the former president. 

“If that’s not a political Justice Department, I don’t know what is. So this is why we’re going to look into this issue,” Jordan said on Fox.

Conservatives often name Jordan as a potential candidate for House Speaker.

Jordan said he is focused on chairing the Judiciary Committee and has no interest in being speaker. 

He’s backing his onetime adversary Kevin McCarthy, the current GOP leader, for the post, but McCarthy has yet to earn the votes of 218 Republicans that he will need in January to get the gavel.

“My attitude is, the guy who gets you to the Super Bowl gets to coach the game,” Jordan said.

If McCarthy can’t get 218 votes, who does Jordan think should be nominated?

“I think he’s going to get 218,” he said.