McCarthy threatens to boycott Jan. 6 panel after Pelosi rejects 2 GOP picks
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Wednesday rejected two Republicans picked by
GOP leadership to serve on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in response that Republicans will not participate in the investigation unless Pelosi changes her mind.
House rules give the speaker final say over committee assignments, but the speaker normally defers to the minority leader’s choices of committee members to represent the minority party.
Pelosi acknowledged that her decision is unprecedented in a statement Wednesday. But she said past statements by two of McCarthy’s five picks — Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio — raised concerns about their ability to take part in the probe.
“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 Reps. Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee,” Pelosi said.
Banks was tapped by McCarthy to serve as the ranking Republican on the committee.
McCarthy has repeatedly turned to Jordan to defend former President Donald Trump during investigations led by Democrats,
and his bombastic style has in the past riled Democrats.
Both men challenged certification of President Joe Biden’s electoral wins.
“This represents an egregious abuse of power and will irreparably damage this institution,” McCarthy said in a statement. “Denying the voices of members who have served in the military and law enforcement, as well as leaders of standing committees, has made it undeniable that this panel has lost all legitimacy and credibility and shows the speaker is more interested in playing politics than seeking the truth.”
“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.
The committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting July 27. Under the rules, it would have enough members to make a quorum and proceed even if
none of McCarthy’s picks served.
Republicans jumped to join McCarthy in saying Pelosi’s decision proves the committee would be partisan, while Democrats said McCarthy’s choice in members showed he wasn’t taking the investigation seriously.
“This has always been about politics, and today’s actions by the speaker just confirms that,” Jordan told reporters.
Pelosi said she is willing to accept McCarthy’s three other choices.
“I also informed him that I was prepared to appoint Reps. Rodney Davis, Kelly Armstrong and Troy Nehls, and requested that he recommend two other members,” she said.
The select committee was created to investigate the security failures that led to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, which occurred while Congress was certifying the 2020 presidential election results, as required by the Constitution.