In an unexpected turn of events, Rep. Jim Jordan has won the top Republican spot on the Oversight Committee after his friend and colleague, Rep. Mark Meadows, suddenly stepped aside.

The Ohio lawmaker was unanimously elected by the Republican Steering Committee for the ranking member role on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Thursday after last-minute jockeying for positions in the last few weeks, The Hill reported.

A staunch defender of President Donald Trump, Jordan was seeking the ranking Republican position on the House Judiciary Committee until Wednesday. He withdrew his bid amid concerns that he would not get the position as Georgia Rep. Doug Collins, who was favored by GOP leaders for the role, did get the votes.

As the senior-most member on the Oversight committee, which is currently chaired by retiring South Carolina Rep, Trey Gowdy, it seemed logical for Jordan to seek the top spot. But Meadows, his House Freedom Caucus ally, appeared to still be running –  a position the North Carolina Republican was expected to easily win.

According to The Hill:

Meadows arrived to the steering committee carrying a binder, which likely contained a layout of his vision for the panel. And part way into the meeting, Jordan entered the closed door meeting.

Jordan then confirmed to reporters that Meadows had pulled out of the race and that he had declared his interest.

“I just talked to them about the OGR ranking member position. The committee is discussing what they are going to do,” Jordan told reporters. “I just went in and told them I am interested in the position.”

Two GOP sources tell me @Jim_Jordan just won Oversight ranker unanimously. Wow

— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) November 29, 2018

Asked by reporters if Meadows, his friend and Freedom Caucus chairman, was still running, Jordan responded: “No, he is not.”

“The steering committee unanimously selected Jim Jordan to be our next ranking member. And I think he’s going to do a great job and thought that it was a good move by the committee,” House Majority Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana told The Hill.

“You never know what good things will happen along the way in these interviews,” Scalise, who will be the House’s no. 2 Republican next year, added.

Two main objectives for Congress before the end of 2018:

-Fund the border security wall
-Compel Rod Rosenstein to testify about his comments on recording the President and invoking the 25th Amendment

No chance these happen under Speaker Pelosi. We have 5 weeks to get it done.

— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) November 29, 2018

Though it was not yet clear what made Meadows step aside, he was clearly happy for his friend

“It’s one of the few times where you can rejoice in somebody else’s success, and I rejoice in Jim Jordan’s willingness to serve on Oversight and, quite frankly, I think it’s a unifying day for our conference,” he said, according to CNN.

Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, currently the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is expected to chair the committee in the new Congress.

The radical left Palmer Report was certain Jordan’s withdrawal from the Judiciary bid meant sudden doom for Trump.

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Frieda Powers

Senior Staff Writer
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.

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