Fact Check: Did Jim Jordan Accuse Child Rape Victim of Lying?

The Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade has led to concerns that many women, left without the prospect of finding care in their home states, may have to cross state lines if they wish to seek an abortion.

In an early example of this reported not long after the Supreme Court's decision, a 10-year-old girl had to cross state lines from Ohio to Indiana to get an abortion, leading to outrage and comments from President Joe Biden and other prominent politicians.

Now, nearly a year later, claims have emerged stating Republican Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, who campaigns against abortion practices, had said the child victim was "lying" about the incident.

The Claim

A Facebook post by progressive media outlet Occupy Democrats, published July 7, 2023, claimed Jim Jordan had said that a 9-year-old child who went from Ohio to Indiana for an abortion was "'lying.'"

Occupy Democrats opened their criticism of Jordan stating how a judge had recently handed a life sentence to the man who raped the child.

The post read: "Trumper Jim Jordan's disgraceful attack started when the 9-year-old Ohio girl was forced to travel out of state to Indiana in order to abort her rapist's baby due to Ohio's strict new abortion ban,

"Then, Jim Jordan shamelessly tweeted that the 9-year-old victim was 'lying'—before shamelessly deleting the tweet after a public outcry,

"Unfortunately for Jordan, the 28 year old who raped the young victim was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to life in prison,

"You really have to be a sick, twisted individual to accuse a pregnant 9-year-old of lying about being raped. Especially if you are the member of Congress who is supposed to represent her."

The Facts

It's helpful to clarify some of the details here.

While Occupy Democrats refers to a 9-year-old, whereas other media outlets referenced a 10-year-old, it is the same person. The child turned 10 shortly after the rape that led to the abortion.

It's also true that the child's attacker, 28-year-old Gerson Fuentes, was sentenced to life in prison this week for raping the child. As reported by The Guardian, Fuentes entered a plea agreement, which will allow him to be eligible for parole after 25 years.

However, the claim that Jordan said that the 9-year-old was "lying" when the news first broke deserves important context.

Occupy Democrats appears to be referring to a tweet Jordan replied to, sent by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on July 12, 2023, in which he claimed that his office had "not found any evidence of a 10-year-old rape victim in the state who, according to a report cited by President @JoeBiden, was six weeks pregnant and traveled to Indiana to receive an abortion."

In a since deleted, but archived tweet, Jordan replied: "Another lie. You surprised?"

His remarks were condemned and proved to be particularly embarrassing as only a day later, reports announced that Fuentes had been arrested (which were acknowledged by Yost).

There do not appear to be any other tweets or messages Jordan sent about this story in which he accuses others of lying or of falsehoods.

Crucially, whether Jordan meant to accuse the child of lying is open to interpretation. Jordan does not particularly accuse anyone of lying, he doesn't use the word "lying," and while decrying the story as a "lie," that could refer to his conviction about the story's accuracy, not necessarily about the honesty of those mentioned within it.

In an interview with CNN in July 2022 following the arrest of Fuentes, Jordan said he "never doubted the child."

"I was responding to a headline from your profession, the news profession, which happens all the time on Twitter."

CNN's Manu Raju said he went on to ask Jordan if he thought the tweet "came across as if he was questioning the child's story."

Jordan was said to have replied "No, not at all, I was just questioning Joe Biden" referring to David Yost's mentioning of the president's remarks about the incident.

It's not crystal clear what Jordan's intentions actually were when he sent that tweet, but the characterization made by Occupy Democrats seems unfair, particularly as Jordan has not explicitly accused the child of lying and has denied that was his intention.

Newsweek has contacted a representative for Jim Jordan via email and Occupy Democrats for comment.

The Ruling

Needs Context.

In 2022, responding to a tweet from the Ohio state attorney who had said there was no evidence of a 10-year-old rape victim, Jordan replied "Another lie."

A day later, the man who was eventually sentenced for raping the child was arrested. Jordan deleted his tweet.

While we can't be certain what Jordan's intentions were when he sent the tweet, he did not directly accuse the child of lying, did not use the word "lying," and later told the press he "never doubted the child."

The Facebook post by Occupy Democrats, crucially, claims Jordan said the child was lying when that isn't clear.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team