Posted on 07/09/2018 2:18:02 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
Embattled Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and his allies went on offense Monday as a half dozen former wrestling coaches rallied behind their former Ohio State coaching colleague and insisted he did not know about a team doctor sexually assaulting student athletes decades ago.
In a phone interview on Monday, former Ohio State University head wrestling coach Russ Hellickson vehemently denied that he or Jordan had ever seen or been told that Dr. Richard Strauss was molesting or sexually assaulting OSU wrestlers during the 1980s and 90s.
“I am frankly pissed off at what they are doing to Jim Jordan. This is hysteria and politics running the narrative,” Hellickson told The Hill in a phone interview. Jordan “gave his heart and soul to the personal development of these athletes. If they are attacking him, why aren’t they attacking the 30 or 40 other coaches at OSU?
“A whole lot of people were in the dark here. Nobody recognized this,” Hellickson added. “Jim Jordan didn’t know anything. I didn’t know anything, and I don’t think any of the other coaches knew anything.”
Moments later, Hellickson and five other former OSU coaches issued a joint statement defending Jordan and saying that they would have “spoken up” had athletes reported specific cases of sexual abuse to them.
“What has been said about Jim Jordan is absolutely wrong. We all worked on the wrestling coaching staff during Jim’s tenure at The Ohio State University. None of us saw or heard of abuse of OSU wrestlers,” the half dozen coaches said in a joint statement. “The well-being of student-athletes was all of our concern. If we had heard of any abuse, we would have spoken up.”
The six OSU coaches are Hellickson and five former assistant coaches: Dave Ruckman, Rex Holman, Ken Chertow, Myron Kharchilava and Kenny Ramsey Jr.
The statement was distributed in a press release sent out by Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, a conservative PR shop which Jordan has hired to help him respond to the ballooning crisis. The Alexandria, Va.-based firm is helping reporters set up interviews with the Jordan defenders.
The coaches’ statement contradicts allegations by seven former OSU wrestlers who have publicly stated that Jordan knew or must have known about the sexual abuse of OSU athletes while he was an assistant wrestling coach there from 1987 to 1995.
“Doc Strauss was a serial groper of our bodies, including of our testicles,” Mike DiSabato, a former wrestler at OSU, told CNN last week. “I consider Jim a friend, but for whatever reason, he has made the decision to deny something that absolutely happened. He had knowledge of it. His locker was next to Doc Strauss.”
The allegations come as Jordan, a former NCAA Division I wrestling champ, reached out to GOP colleagues about a possible run for Speaker of the House.
ETC...
Now, can we get Ryan to resign and the House can replace him with Jordan? THIS WEEK, PLEASE.
I don’t understand why there has suddenly been a smear campaign against Jim Jordan.
Yes, the alleged victims were how old? Weren’t they of age? Wouldn’t it have been “homophobic” to interfere, unasked, with the flirtations of grown sodomites?
Jim Jordan is proving to be an effective voice in support of President Trump and the Deplorable Agenda. He’ll be a TERRIFIC next Speaker of the House.
This looks like a DNC operation, a.k.a. a RINO John Kasich operation. Thanks yesthatjallen.
You’re welcome.
So Perkins Coie is leading up the investigation and has decided to focus exclusively on Jim Jordan, who was at the time a 22-year old assistant wrestling coach.
Perkins Coie? Perkins Coie? That name sounds so familiar. Where have I heard of them before?
Couldn't be the same Perkins Coie behind Hillary Clinton, Fusion GPS, the Steel dossier, etc...
Nah... That would look too much like a partisan witch hunt. Surely, Democrat strategists can't be THAT stupid, can they?
Is Oprah or Meryl Streep under investigation? If the communists are going after Jordan then they must go after all the people who knew about Weinstein. Same issue. Jordan already stayed he didn’t know.
What allegations? From what I’ve heard there aren’t any, just innuendo. “He either knew or he should have known”.
The sudden smear campaign is designed to prevent Jordan from becoming Speaker of the House. Notice that all leaders who speak for the people are attacked. This lie is such a stretch that CNN should be embarrassed to use it. They couldn’t even find a bimbo to lie about him, and are forced to rely on 20 year old rumors about somebody else who conveniently cannot defend himself.
Headline is as expected... trying to discredit those who support him.
The Short Answer:
The Swamp feels threatened by Jordan’s strong leadership.
What about the other wrestlers? Where are their statements?
It happened 20 years ago. WHO CARES?
The Deep State doesn't like these things being exposed. Puss will spew everywhere and the infection will abate after some people are prosecuted.
The documents Rosenstein is holding back from releasing to the congressional overseers like Jordon, will implicate a lot of democRATS and maybe some Republicans like McCain, in this whole Russian collusion thing that was really cover for this liberal "stop-Trump-at-any-costs" campaign.
Who knows what's it's about except that it is a political smear on one strategic congressman who vigorously supports Donald Trump and is helping him drain the Swamp.
These allegations have no credibility whatsoever. But then the veracity of the story the "wrestlers" are telling is missing in action. Who believes things like this 20 years later at a most inopportune moment of a political investigation in DC?
No one but the Left. And they don't even believe it. It's all made up but it serves their purposes so what do they care happens to Jordon's character and reputation?
“I don’t understand why there has suddenly been a smear campaign against Jim Jordan.”
1. Jordan went after Rosenweasel hard. Rosensweasel threatened House Members, he meant it. Peel the layers and you will find the little pricks fingerprints on this.
2. Jordan said he was interested in being Speaker and going against Ryan’s choice McCarthy who is just as much of a Rino as Ryan is.
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