Senators raced to overcome the final snags in an infrastructure deal.
Illinois Republican joins committee looking into Jan. 6 riot
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday named a second Republican critic of Donald Trump, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, to a special committee investigating the Capitol riot and pledged that the Democratic-majority panel will “get to the truth.” Kinzinger said he “humbly accepted” the appointment even as his party’s leadership is boycotting the inquiry.
With the committee set to hold its first meeting, hearing from police officers who battled the rioters, Pelosi said it was imperative to learn what happened on Jan. 6, when a violent siege disrupted the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s presidential victory.
That mission, she said, must be pursued in a bipartisan manner to ensure “such an attack can never happen again.”
Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, will bring “great patriotism to the committee’s mission: to find the facts and protect our Democracy,” she said in a statement.
He joins Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming as the committee’s two Republicans. Kinzinger and Cheney were among the 10 House Republicans to vote for Trump’s second impeachment. They were the only two Republicans who voted last month to form the special committee.
“For months, lies and conspiracy theories have been spread, threatening our self-governance,” Kinzinger said in a statement.
“I will work diligently to ensure we get to the truth and hold those responsible for the attack fully accountable,” he said.
House Republican leader Kevin Mccarthy has said the GOP will not participate after Pelosi, D-calif., refused to accept two of the members he picked.
In a statement Sunday, Mccarthy said Pelosi’s decision to reject his picks and appoint members “who share her preconceived narrative will not yield a serious investigation” and is intended “to satisfy her political objectives.”