Should Jim Jordan get the Presidential Medal of Freedom? Editorial Board Roundtable – cleveland.com

Cleveland.coms Sabrina Eaton reported Monday, confirming a Washington Post story, that President Donald Trump planned to give the Presidential Medal of Freedom to U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, the sharp-tongued, fast-talking former wrestler from southwest Ohio who is one of Trumps most loyal political allies.

The question is, should he? And further, given Wednesdays events, will he?

By throwing into doubt Trumps continuation in office until his term ends Jan. 20, Wednesdays storming of the U.S. Capitol has also cast a shadow over Trumps sudden spurt of Medal of Freedom awards to political allies and admired golfers -- and raised questions about whether hell be in office long enough to carry out the promised award to Jordan.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is bestowed at the discretion of the president to recognize an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors. It has long been considered the nations highest civilian honor, but its also gone to friends, admired icons and political allies of the president.

In his final days in the Oval Office, President Barack Obama famously surprised Vice President Joe Biden, now the president-elect, with the award.

There seems little chance that Trump will do the same for Vice President Mike Pence, who defied Trump Wednesday in refusing to subvert the outcome while presiding over the Joint Session of Congress called to confirm the Electoral College vote.

Trump has been handing out Medals of Freedom rather liberally in his final days. On Thursday, just a day after a mob of Trump supporters invaded the Capitol, the president bestowed the award to three professional golfers, Annika Sorenstam, Gary Player and, posthumously, to the late Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

On Monday, he gave the award to U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, a California Republican who, like Jordan, has assiduously assailed any suggestion that Trump engaged in wrongdoing, or, as the citation put it: helped thwart a plot to take down a sitting United States president and pursued the Russia Hoax at great personal risk. Jordan is said to be on Trumps list for similar reasons.

The award is totally up to the president, but should Jordan get it?

Our Editorial Board Roundtable weighs in.

Ted Diadiun, columnist:

I like and respect Jim Jordan. Ohio is lucky to have him on our side. Hes a stand-up guy and a patriot who says what he thinks and lives by his word. Any award anyone sees fit to bestow on him is deserved, and is fine by me.

Thomas Suddes, editorial writer:

The medal, once awarded to peerless statesmen and artists, now sometimes goes to marquee athletes and pop-culture personalities. That said, the elegant medal and its blue ribbon will look good on Jordan, a trim 56, who still has the air of the champion college wrestler he once was.

Eric Foster, columnist:

The short answer is no. There is literally nothing Jim Jordan has done worthy of a Presidential Medal of Freedom. All he has done is continually defend and/or justify Trumps actions at every turn since 2016. You dont get the highest civilian honor for playing politics.

Victor Ruiz, editorial board member:

Jim Jordan is an accomplice to the worst president in the history of our country, and to the violent insurrection that occurred this past week. He has done a disservice to our country and his name should not be mentioned with the likes of Thurgood Marshall, Cesar Chavez, and Maya Angelou.

Lisa Garvin, editorial board member:

I can hardly think of anyone less deserving of the Medal of Freedom than Jim Jordan, one of the seditious lawmakers who blocked a peaceful transition of power. But then again, outgoing President Trump tarnished its prestigious legacy by bestowing the award upon its very antithesis, right-wing blowhard Rush Limbaugh.

Mary Cay Doherty, editorial board member:

Wednesdays storming of the Capitol, unforgivably incited by President Trump, was reprehensible and indefensible. Jim Jordans Presidential Medal of Freedom is a separate issue and well-deserved. He defended the office of the president against unmerited campaigns to subvert and unseat a duly elected president.

Elizabeth Sullivan, opinion director:

Im no fan of Jim Jordan, who used his oratorical skills to subvert the truth and serve a dangerously ego-driven man who fell into delusion and denial when he couldnt win a second term, unleashing violence aimed at the heart of our democracy. Jordan would be wise to decline the award from such a president.

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* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments on this editorial board roundtable to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.

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Should Jim Jordan get the Presidential Medal of Freedom? Editorial Board Roundtable - cleveland.com