WASHINGTON Staunch conservative Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is in the spotlight after launching a bid for the speakers gavel this week, a race that is sure to provide even more drama and chaos than the unprecedented ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

But one critical aspect of Jordans history that has been omitted by most Beltway publications is the prominent role he played in spreading lies about the 2020 election and rallying supporters to contest the results. The extraordinary effort led by former President Donald Trump , who has endorsed Jordans bid for speaker, led to the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Jim Jordan knew more about what Donald Trump had planned for Jan. 6 than any other member of the House of Representatives, former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who co-chaired the House Select Committee tasked with investigating the insurrection, said in a speech at the University of Minnesota this week.

Jim Jordan was involved, was part of the conspiracy in which Donald Trump was engaged as he attempted to overturn the election, she added.

Jordan, who now chairs the House Judiciary Committee, refused to cooperate with the select committee regarding his communications with Trump as the attack was occurring, defying subpoenas for testimony.

Trump spoke on the phone with Jordan for 10 minutes on the morning of Jan. 6. Jordan has never divulged the nature of the conversation, saying only that he had spoken to Trump a number of times that day.

He has said he had nothing to do with the attack on the Capitol.

Jordan also phoned then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows while the attack was underway, according to former Meadows aide Cassidy Hutchinson.

They had a brief conversation, Hutchinson told the committee. In crossfire, I heard briefly what they were talking about. I heard conversations in the Oval [Office] dining room at that point talking about the Hang Mike Pence chants.

Jordan also sent a text to Meadows on Jan. 5 outlining a legal theory that then-Vice President Mike Pence, who presided over the Senate chamber on Jan. 6, had the authority to block the certification of Joe Biden s 2020 election win.