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WASHINGTON (AP) – Unfazed by Republican boycott threats, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that a congressional committee to investigate the Jan. 6 insurgency on Capitol Hill will undertake its “extremely serious work Whether the Republicans participate or not.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy called the committee a “sham process” and suggested that GOP lawmakers who participate in it could face the consequences. McCarthy said Pelosi’s rejection of two of the Republicans he tried to name was a “flagrant abuse of power.”
The escalating tension between the two sides – even before the investigation began – is emblematic of the raw partisan anger that has only worsened on Capitol Hill since supporters of former President Donald Trump took over. besieged the Capitol and interrupted President Joe Biden’s certification of victory. With most Republicans still loyal to Trump, and many downplaying the severity of the violent attack, there is little bipartisan unity to be found.
McCarthy said on Wednesday he would remove the names of the five Republicans he appointed after Pelosi dismissed two, Reps Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio. Pelosi made it clear on Thursday that she would not give in, and Democrats have considered filling the empty seats themselves.
“It’s my responsibility as Speaker of the House to make sure we get to the truth about this, and we won’t let their antics get in the way,” Pelosi said of Republicans.
It is not clear, at this time, whether Pelosi will try to appoint more members to the select committee, as she has the power to do under the rules of the committee. She left this possibility open, saying that there are other members who would like to participate. But she said she had not decided whether or not to nominate Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger, one of only two Republicans to vote in favor of the panel’s creation last month.
The other, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, has already been nominated by Pelosi to sit on the committee along with seven Democrats – making sure they have quorum to proceed whether or not other Republicans participate.
Cheney praised Kinzinger, saying he would be a “great addition” to the panel. Several Democrats on the panel also appeared to support the idea, with Mississippi President Bennie Thompson saying the military veteran is “the kind of person we would like to have.”
The banks and Jordan are outspoken allies of Trump, who continued to spread lies about massive election fraud and defended his supporters who stormed onto Capitol Hill. The rioters fought against the police and sent lawmakers inside to save their lives.
The House voted in May to create an independent inquiry that would have been split evenly across parties, but Senate Republicans blocked that approach in a vote last month. Pelosi said the new panel was only created because a bipartisan commission was no longer an option.
When asked on Thursday whether Cheney – and potentially Kinzinger – could be stripped of their regular duties on the committee in retaliation for participating, McCarthy said “the conference will consider him.” Cheney accepted Pelosi’s assignment earlier this month despite similar threats from McCarthy.
Pelosi accepted McCarthy’s other three picks – Illinois Rep Rodney Davis, North Dakota Rep Kelly Armstrong and Texas Rep Troy Nehls. But McCarthy said all five or none would participate.
Like Jordan and Banks, Nehls voted to undo Biden’s victory. Armstrong and Davis voted to certify the election.
Banks recently traveled with Trump to the US-Mexico border and visited him at his New Jersey golf course. In a statement after McCarthy chose him for the panel, he sharply criticized the Democrats who put him in place.
“Make no mistake, Nancy Pelosi created this committee only to slander the Conservatives and justify the authoritarian left agenda,” Banks said.
Democrats Pelosi appointed to the committee earlier this month were angry at the statement and concerned about Banks’ two recent visits with Trump, according to a senior Democratic official familiar with the private deliberations who spoke on condition of anonymity to to discuss.
Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, has been one of Trump’s strongest supporters in his two impeachments and last month compared the new inquiry to “impeachment three.” Trump was impeached by the House and acquitted by the Senate each time.
The panel is also considering hiring former Rep. Denver Riggleman of Virginia, a Republican who criticized Trump’s lies about electoral fraud, as an outside advisor, according to a person familiar with the work of the committee that secured the election. anonymity to discuss private interviews.
Cheney told reporters that she agreed with Pelosi’s decision to dismiss the two Republicans nominated by McCarthy.
“At every opportunity, the Minority Leader tried to prevent the American people from understanding what happened – to block this investigation,” Cheney said.
The panel will hold its first hearing next week, with at least four police officers who fought rioters testifying about their experiences. Committee members met Thursday afternoon to prepare.
Thompson said the hearing would allow law enforcement officers to tell their stories and “set the tone” for the investigation to begin.
Seven people died during and after the riots, including a woman who was shot dead by police as she tried to break into the House bedroom and three other Trump supporters who suffered medical emergencies. Two police officers died by suicide in the days that followed, and a third officer, Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, collapsed and later died after engaging with protesters. A medical examiner determined he died of natural causes.
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Associated Press writer Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.
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