Trump reportedly giving Presidential Medal of Freedom to GOP allies Devin Nunes, Jim Jordan

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

last updated 4 January 2021

President Trump is expected to give the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) on Monday, followed a week later by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Axios and The Washington Post reported Sunday evening. Trump "is using his final days in the White House in part to reward friends and allies with pardons and other decorations," the Post notes, and Nunes and Jordan are two of Trump's closest allies in Congress.

Jordan was a vocal and passionate defender of Trump during his impeachment hearings, and Nunes was one of the president's biggest allies in his effort to undermine the Justice Department's investigations of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Trump cited Nunes' "bravery" in the Russia imbroglio when suggesting to Fox & Friends in 2018 that he might give Nunes the "very important" Medal of Freedom, after first calling it the Medal of Honor, the Post reports. The Medal of Honor is a military decoration while the Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor, though Trump has bestowed that honor on some controversial recipients.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.