House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blocked the appointment of two GOP Representatives, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN-03) to the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol.
The committee was originally intended to be composed of 13 members — five of whom the minority leader would have consultation on. However, of those 5 members, Pelosi rejected the appointment of the top two members.
Pelosi, who refused to share her criteria for rejecting some members and not all, claimed that the staunch supporters of former President Trump would jeopardize the “integrity” of the investigation.
“With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee,” Speaker Pelosi said in a statement.
In response to the decision, many Republicans argued that Pelosi’s decision indicates the committee will be partisan instead of a true investigation
“Speaker Pelosi just admitted the obvious, that the January 6th Select Committee is nothing more than a partisan political charade,” Jordan fired back in a tweet.
Speaker Pelosi just admitted the obvious, that the January 6th Select Committee is nothing more than a partisan political charade. https://t.co/wGRO9fV2kt
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) July 21, 2021
“As a member of Congress and an Afghanistan veteran I’m disappointed in this unprecedented move by @SpeakerPelosi. She knows @Jim_Jordan & I will fight for our country and for the truth. This proves again this is entirely a political stunt, not a true effort to follow the facts,” Banks added.
As a member of Congress and an Afghanistan veteran I’m disappointed in this unprecedented move by @SpeakerPelosi. She knows @Jim_Jordan & I will fight for our country and for the truth. This proves again this is entirely a political stunt, not a true effort to follow the facts.
— Jim Banks (@RepJimBanks) July 21, 2021
Further, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-23) accused Pelosi of “abusing her power” and threatened to pull all appointed Republicans from the committee
“Unless Speaker Pelosi reverses course and seats all five Republican nominees, Republicans will not be party to their sham process and will instead pursue our own investigation of the facts,” he said in a statement.
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for the Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
