WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump will present one of the nation’s highest civilian awards to two of his most outspoken congressional allies, California Rep. Devin Nunes and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, while looking to reward loyalists with just over two weeks over in his term.
The White House confirmed that Trump would hand over the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Nunes on Monday. The former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has been a staunch supporter of Trump during investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election and the 2019 deposition of the president by the Democrat-led House.
In a statement, the White House called Nunes the disclosure “the biggest scandal in US history,” referring to Nunes’ attempts to discredit the electoral interference investigation.
US intelligence agencies and multiple congressional committees concluded that Russia was interfering in the 2016 election with the aim of boosting Trump’s candidacy. Several Trump aides and associates, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn, were convicted or found guilty of lying to the FBI in the course of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Flynn, among others, received a presidential pardon last month.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom, instituted by President John F. Kennedy, is designed to recognize those who have made “particularly meritorious contributions” to national security, world peace or “cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”
The award comes because Trump rewards his supporters with the benefits and prestige that comes with serving on a host of federal advisory boards and committees before leaving office on January 20.
Jordan, one of the GOP leaders trying to undermine confidence in the 2020 presidential election results won by Democrat Joe Biden, is expected to receive the award next week. Trump’s intention to present the award to lawmakers was first reported by The Washington Post.