Despite facing criminal charges in New York and a number of other investigations, former President Donald Trump still boasts strong support from within the GOP — including from several lawmakers on some of the House’s most influential committees.
At least 37 House Republicans have publicly endorsed Trump in the 2024 election as well as five GOP senators, giving the former president a sturdy wall of support within the halls of Congress as he seeks a return to the Oval Office. Much of his support from the House comes from two of the lower chamber’s most powerful committees — which Trump has been pushing to use to investigate his political foes.
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS ALIKE CASH IN ON INDICTMENT NEWS
More than one-third of members on the House Judiciary and Oversight committee members have backed Trump for a second term, giving the former president significant sway on the two panels that have vowed to investigate President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Eleven of the 26 Republicans on the House Oversight Committee publicly support Trump, as well as nine of the 25 GOP lawmakers on the Judiciary panel. Elsewhere in the House GOP conference, several other notable Republicans back Trump’s White House bid, including Reps. Jim Banks (R-IN), Ronny Jackson (R-TX), and Roger Williams (R-TX).
Among the most significant endorsements Trump has garnered is from Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who is the fourth-highest ranking Republican in the House. The pair hold outsize influence over the panels that are seeking to investigate Biden as well as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Committee Republicans, led by Jordan, have been pushing for documents and testimony from Bragg related to his investigation into Trump’s alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during his first presidential run in 2016. A grand jury voted to indict Trump related to that case on Thursday, marking the first time a former president has been pressed with criminal charges.
House Oversight Republicans have denounced those charges, vowing to investigate Bragg for what they believe to be a “politically motivated” case.
Meanwhile, Trump also has the support of four Republicans on the House Weaponization Committee, which is tasked with investigating several federal government agencies for alleged political bias. Jordan and Stefanik are on that committee, as well as Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Harriet Hageman (R-WY), who have also endorsed Trump.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
GOP leaders have been urging their colleagues to throw their support behind Trump in recent weeks, with Republicans renewing those calls on Thursday evening amid reports of Trump’s indictment. Trump has kept a close eye on those who have — and, more importantly, who hasn't — endorsed him in his 2024 bid.
During a rally last weekend in Waco, Texas, Trump attempted to draw a line in the sand, noting that any GOP lawmaker who has not endorsed him would not be invited to his campaign events. However, Trump has made exceptions for lawmakers such as Rep. James Comer (R-KY), who have not publicly endorsed him but have been helpful to him in other respects.