Russell Dye helms communications for the House Judiciary panel, helping lead the conversation for one of Congress’s most cantankerous committees.
The panel has a far reach. Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) frequently makes the rounds on nightly programs, and its account on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has the largest following of any GOP committee.
“I think that it’s about getting the conservative message out to people in a way that people can understand. I think, oftentimes, on the Hill, people are a little too traditional with how they communicate with people — formal press releases, boring talking points, things that no one reads — when people want the snarky quick tweets and sound bites that people understand, that’s how they talk,” Dye said.
It’s an effort that isn’t always without controversy. Dye is one of the few staffers to be name checked by a member of Congress; Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) tweeted last year that there is “a straight line” between tweets drafted by the aide “and the death threats that flood my office.”
Dye is also in touch with a wide variety of media outlets, stressing that the GOP needs to be in touch with everyone from its conservative base to those who primarily get their news from morning TV shows.
“I don’t mind talking to reporters. I think it’s one thing that conservatives do a bad job at. I don’t think enough of us talk to the mainstream outlets enough,” he said.
“There’s a certain set of people, like you see in the suburbs, that Republicans have to win back who watch those kinds of shows, who read CNN, and if you’re not at least getting some form of argument in those papers then I think you’re missing out on millions of Americans who are not really in tune with politics.”