House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday defended her decision to veto House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s picks of GOP Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio for the January 6 committee.
The two Trump loyalists “made statements and took actions that just made it ridiculous to put them on such a committee seeking the truth,” Pelosi said at her weekly press conference.
The House Speaker said the work of the committee is “deadly serious” and reiterated that allowing Banks and Jordan to participate would “impact the integrity” of the probe.
Both Banks and Jordan have publicly attacked the inquiry, which hasn’t formally begun yet.
“You know what this is about. This is about going after President Trump. The Democrats don’t want to talk about anything else,” Jordan said during a recent CNN appearance.
“Make no mistake, Nancy Pelosi created this committee solely to malign conservatives and to justify the Left’s authoritarian agenda,” Banks said in a statement on Monday.
Pelosi, for her part, said the GOP lawmakers’ comments “fall into the realm of ‘you must be kidding,'” adding, “There’s no way they are going to be on the committee.”
-Ben Siegel (@bensiegel) July 22, 2021
The House Speaker on Wednesday announced she was barring Banks and Jordan from the committee, but said she would accept the three other Republicans that McCarthy recommended: Reps. Kelly Armstrong, Troy Nehls, and Rodney Davis. But after the Speaker’s announcement, McCarthy said the Republicans he picked would no longer participate and the GOP would run its own investigation into the insurrection. It’s not clear what the GOP inquiry would look like, and it would likely lack the authority of the official House investigation.
Though former President Donald Trump provoked the fatal January 6 insurrection and congressional leaders are not responsible for security at the Capitol, Republicans like McCarthy and Jordan have essentially taken to pinning the blame on Pelosi for the riot.
-Acyn (@Acyn) July 22, 2021
The House Speaker on Thursday said she would not allow Republicans to derail the investigation.
“It’s my responsibility as Speaker of the House to make sure we get to the truth on this, and we will not let their antics stand in the way of that,” Pelosi said.
An investigation into the January 6 insurrection has the potential to be highly uncomfortable for top Republicans who helped amplify Trump’s lies about the 2020 election, which catalyzed the deadly riot at the Capitol. McCarthy, Banks, and Jordan all objected to certifying the election results.
Republicans in May blocked a bill to form a bipartisan, independent 9/11-style commission to investigate the insurrection. This prompted the Democratic-led House to vote in favor of forming a committee.
While McCarthy’s five picks will not serve on the committee, GOP Rep. Liz Cheney is still set to participate. The Wyoming Republican was tapped by Pelosi in early July to sit on the committee. Pelosi on Thursday also signaled she’s considering GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois for the committee. Both Cheney and Kinzinger were among the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over the insurrection.
WOW…if that’s not calling the kettle black I don’t know what is!! Lunatic Pelosi needs a straight jacket & a padded cell with duck tape covering her mouth. Old decrepit commy witch.
who the hell is this bitch?
And Pelosi chose to RINO’S Cheney and Kinzinger. 🤣
I stand with the republicans on this issue. Nancy Pelosi is the most hateful, dumbest and wicked leader of the house we have ever had. She needs to be tossed out of her position and removed forever. If left unattended, she will destroy this nation. Her sole purpose is revenge at any cost.
Pelosi should rot in hell, and I have choicer words that I can use. This Woman is the root of all Evil in every way. They say that every dog gets his or her day and I’m still waiting for hers to come.. I hope it’s bad.
Why is she barring Jordan and Banks from the Committee? Why can’t they bar some of her People, such as the Rhino POS Liz Cheney? This is all a disgrace and the Democrats are destroying our Country!!
Why is Liz Cheney on Nancy Pelosi pick? Liz Cheney Hates Trump plus all the things she said Nasty about Trump. The two Nancy Pelosi don’t want on there. Because they want the truth to come out.
Nancy thinks she is above everyone, and that her way is the ONLY WAY people should think – SORRY, that is NOT the way our Constitution reads, and last I heard, that is the ruling document that is the basis of our free COUNTRY!
She has the nerve to leave Eric Swalwell on the intel committee without any hesitation on her part, brings impeachment charges against President Trump twice and she blocks 2 Republicans because they made statements that would make it ridiculous for them to be on such a committee seeking the truth? I think she’s afraid that an investigation conducted by Republicans would reveal she had some involvement in instigating the events of January 6. I think she and her supporters would stop at nothing to discredit President Trump.
She wants the TRUTH, that pos filth wouldn’t know the truth if it jumped up and bit her in her arse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Pelosi wasn’t so afraid of the truth coming out , she would be removing no one . She is so far over her head in lies and her obsession with Trump ,she’ll do whatever it takes , to try and win. If your proof is so strong why did you not Winn your last impeachment ? Maybe because everything you introduce was shown by real truth that everything was doctored by your group. Saw it all in real time on tape. Remember this when you lose you commission. And also you title as Speaker of the House. We need true Americans who are honest to be in office , not hateful people who only care about their power and money .
She said a word I never thought she knew THE TRUTH, how do we survive this mess we are now in ? We need someone with some good answers NOW.