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The chairman of the select committee, Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Confirmed in a statement that Riggleman would be added to the panel, an hour after Bloomberg first reported he was a new staff member. Two sources close to the investigation confirmed the move to POLITICO.
“In addition to being a former colleague of the House, Mr. Riggleman brings extensive experience in national security and intelligence matters,” said Thompson.
In a video posted to Twitter on Friday night, Riggleman said the mission could be one of the “greatest things I’ve ever done in my life. This includes the deployment nearly 20 years ago just after the 11th. September”.
“We can no longer worry about the color of the shirts, or whether we have an R or D next to our name. It’s time for us to take a factual look at what happened on January 6, but to see if we can prevent this from happening again in the future, “Riggleman said.” I want to give my word to everyone, that I want to do it in a professional, transparent and ethical manner. ”
Riggleman, who has said repeatedly that he would sit on the committee if asked, met with Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s staff last month to discuss the possibility of working with the panel.
Cheney, the first and most prominent House Republicans to be recruited to serve on the committee, publicly praised Riggleman last month while his name was under consideration.
“I think Denver would be great,” Cheney said in a brief interview. “Denver is someone who has years of experience, especially in all areas related to cyber issues. And I think it would be a great addition to the work of the committee in terms of understanding, recognizing the extent of the use of social media platforms, communications that took place before the 6th. “
Thompson also announced that the panel has hired another staff member proposed by Cheney, Joseph Maher. Maher will be on details from the Department of Homeland Security, where he serves as the Senior Deputy General Counsel.
“Mr. Maher has distinguished himself throughout his career as a public servant, and I am grateful to Representative Cheney for recommending him join our team. These two will provide invaluable insight and expertise as we piece together what happened on January 6 and the time leading up to it, ”said Thompson.
While Democrats are now able to boast about the involvement of two mainstream Tories – Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) – and now Riggleman as an adviser, the panel’s findings should almost be dismissed by the allies. from Trump.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy withdrew his five picks for the selection panel after Pelosi rejected two of his key picks: Reps Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind .).
The GOP leader and other Republicans have widely criticized the decision of the top Democrat, seeking to present the panel as a partisan ploy designed to harm Trump and the GOP ahead of the next terms. They also pointed to the involvement of three former House impeachment officials and an uneven balance of seats between Democrats and Republicans on the panel as evidence that he is against them.
But House Democrats and some Republican members reminded their GOP colleagues that they rejected a resolution to establish a bipartisan 9/11 commission earlier this year, which came after one of their own, Representative John Katko (RN.Y.), struck a deal with the Democrats. GOP leaders then began an informal whip operation against the deal.
Despite this effort, 35 House Republicans still voted to establish the commission. Only two Republicans voted to form the small panel, both of whom now sit on Pelosi’s nomination.
Last month, the committee held its first hearing with four law enforcement officials who described the violence and racism they encountered at the hands of rioters seeking to challenge President Joe Biden’s election victory.
Heather Caygle and Myah Ward contributed to this report.
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