Jan 6 Panel Attacks Pence

The House Jan. 6 committee has criticized former Vice President Mike Pence after calling the panel “partisan” during a recent interview with CBS.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the panel’s chair, and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who serves as vice chair, released a joint statement saying that the characterization by Pence was inaccurate. Still, they also praised Pence’s stance and actions on the day of the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Thompson and Cheney wrote that it was disappointing to see the former Vice President misrepresent “the nature of our investigation” as their previous engagements with the Vice President had been positive. They continued to say that their investigation has included more than 50 Republican witnesses, many of which were senior members of the Trump administration, the Trump campaign and the Trump Justice Department. They also said that any testimony given to the committee that was found to include lies or inaccuracies could lead to criminal penalties. In essence, they said the investigation “was not ‘partisan.’ It was truthful.”

During an interview with CBS “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan, Pence noted that it was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who got to decide who would be on the panel. He continued to say that the “partisan nature” of the committee was a “disappointment” to him.

The select committee was formed by Pelosi after the forming of an independent commission failed due to the GOP’s opposition. While Pelosi did not accept all of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) proposed candidates, he did accept most of his selections while only rejecting two.