LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — U.S. Representative Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas) is giving up his House Intelligence Committee seat to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in "preparation for next week's impeachment hearings.
Crawford announced the decision in a press release Friday, saying "Leader McCarthy and Ranking Member Nunes will ensure the American people hear the full truth while Jim Jordan will add critical bandwidth and legal expertise to the House Intelligence Committee during these upcoming public hearings."
The representative said that he looks forward to joining the committee, calling the impeachment inquiry a "hoax."
In a statement, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (California) claimed Crawford's responsibilities in the committee have "fallen victim to partisan witch hunts."
"The typically venerable Intelligence Committee has now become the partisan Impeachment Committee," McCarthy also claimed.
In October, a Fox News poll was released that said 51% of people said President Donald Trump should be impeached while an NBC News poll said Americans were evenly split on the issue.
An NBC News report said a professional referee stated in a lawsuit that former Ohio State doctor Richard Strauss masturbated in front of him in a shower after a wrestling match.
When the referee told Rep. Jordan, who was an assistant coach at Ohio State at the time, the congressman did not report it, according to the lawsuit.