The Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights is investigating whether Ohio State University responded to sexual abuse allegations "promptly and equitably.” A string of former wrestlers have come forward to say that Dr. Richard Strauss molested them under the guise of medical examinations; since Strauss died by suicide in 2005, the investigation is focused on the response. And part of that response was the responsibility of Rep. Jim Jordan, now the co-founder of the extremist right-wing House Freedom Caucus but previously an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State.
Jordan denies having known about the abuse though several former wrestlers have said that not only was it common knowledge but they directly reported the abuse to Jordan or witnessed their teammates reporting it. Through the team’s former head coach—who has said he confronted Strauss about his behavior in the 1990s—Jordan pressured the victims to come to his defense.
But Jordan has all the defense he needs in his fellow House Republicans, who’ve made clear they don’t care that he knew about sexual abuse of the students he coached but did nothing. It’s not clear if the Office of Civil Rights could ever turn up evidence shocking enough to make Republicans put the heat on Jordan—but based on what we know, he may have cause to sweat nonetheless.