Testimony by former Ohio State wrestler Adam DiSabato is resurfacing on social media this week. DiSabato’s testimony, given in 2020, recounts his story of Rep. Jim Jordan allegedly “begging” him to cover up claims of sexual abuse in The Ohio State University athletic department.
With the recent Supreme Court decision to allow a case against the university to go forward, the testimony addressing Rep. Jordan’s role is floating to the top of social media feeds after being shared by various popular Twitter accounts, including that of former federal prosecutor and Marine Ron Filipkowski.
One year ago, former Ohio State wrestling captain Adam DiSabato testified to the Ohio House that Jim Jordan “called me crying, begging me for half an hour” to cover up hundreds of sex abuse allegations in the program he was coaching. The clip. pic.twitter.com/ALYfdYOdbW
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 16, 2021
In the video above, DiSabato testifies during the Ohio Civil Justice Committee hearings and asserts that “Jim Jordan called me crying, groveling, begging me to go against my brother, begging me, crying for a half-hour. That’s the kind of cover-up that’s going on there.”
DiSabato refers to his brother Michael DiSabato, a fellow OSU wrestler who is a critical part of the lawsuit.
Adam DiSabato essentially plays the role of whistle blower in the hearing, revealing inside information and conversations, though he is not a “whistle blower” by the legal definition. He is instead a sworn-in witness in the investigation.
[NOTE: Jordan, who worked as a wrestling coach at Ohio State from 1987 to 1995 and was elected to Congress in 2006, has been accused of neglecting to report or intervene to stop the actions of Dr. Richard Strauss, the doctor — who later committed suicide — at the center of the allegations against OSU. Jordan has said he was not aware of the situation.]
Context: Rep. Jordan has been deeply enmeshed in situations recently involving whistle blowers and the credibility of testimony as he pursues his suspicions that the FBI and DOJ have been operating with an anti-Trump bias.
In May, Jordan — through his chair position on the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government — ran Congressional hearings on the alleged politicization of the FBI.
Those hearings “descended into chaos as congressional lawmakers sparred over transparency concerns and questioned the legitimacy of the ‘whistleblower’ witnesses,” Newsweek reported. In a stark contrast, the testimony of DiSabato — which Jordan confronts as it rises in the wake of the SCOTUS decision — is transparent, plain and publicly available.
.
.jpg){kind=link}