After Fox News host Sean Hannity tried to bully House Republicans into voting for Rep. Jim Jordan (OH), someone sent anonymous texts to Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon's wife threatening Bacon's job. And the texts were obtained by Politico reporter Olivia Beavers, who posted them on X (see below).
"Why is your husband causing chaos by not supporting Jim Jordan? I thought he was a team player," the first text said, which Bacon's wife received before the vote on Tuesday.
"Who is this???" she responded.
"Your husband will not hold any political office ever again. What a disappoint (sic) and failure he is," the texter said.
"He has more courage than you. You won't put your name to your statements," she shot back.
And, according to Beavers, another anonymous person sent this to Bacon's wife: "Talk to your husband tell him to step up and be a leader and help the Republican Party get a speaker there's too much going on in the world for all this going on in the Republican Party you guys take five steps forward and then turn around take 20 steps backwards no wonder our party always ends up getting screwed over."
Of course, the bullying tactics backfired, with Bacon — along with five other Republicans — voting for Kevin McCarthy, and Jordan failing miserably after a total of 20 Republicans voted against him. According to Politico, the strong-arming is "pissing off" House Republicans, who are sick of calls by Jordan and his allies telling them how they must vote.
So much for far-right pressure campaigns. The "vote for Jordan or else" strategy blew up in their faces — at least this time around.
