Jordan is probably doing more than playing political games
Not clear to me yet that it was a “gambit orchestrated” by Jordan. I think it is quite possible that Jordan wants to do more than simply give the WH cover.
Jordan may very well be concerned about a constitutional crisis (one that Trump will and should lose). 1/5
NEW: Without input from Dems, White House agrees to make ex-security clearance chief Carl Kline available for “limited” testimony.
It’s part of a gambit orchestrated earlier Friday by top Oversight Republican Jim Jordan and unlikely to satisfy Dems.https://www.politico.com/story/2019/04/26/carl-kline-security-clearances-congress-1291206 …
I note in particular that Jordan’s letter to Cipollone (see Cheney’s thread) says nothing about a deal in which Kline’s testimony would be restricted to the WH’s personnel practices and policies. 2/5
Jordan knew that Cummings could not recede on this point, without agreeing to a gutting of Congress’s constitutional powers. (And Jordan probably cares about these powers, too.) 3/5
Does JORDAN believe it would be sufficient for Kline to testify about White House personnel security policy and practices? Or is he going to insist that Kline testify about why and how Kushner and others were given security clearances? 4/5
Was Jordan engaging in political gamesmanship and posturing, or is he trying to get Trump to back away from a constitutional crisis?
Shouldn’t take long to find out. 5/5
6/ @kyledcheney
“Hopefully providing all necessary answers,” if it means anything at all, must cover answering questions about the granting of security clearances to individuals like Kushner; not just a recitation of personnel practices and policies. 7/
