House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has vetoed the appointment of Representatives Jim Bank and Jim Jordan to the January 6 Committee, with Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pulling all GOP nominations as a result.
The House Democrats, led by Pelosi, created the House Select Committee on the January 6 protests on Capitol Hill, following a dramatic failure by their party to push for a 9/11-style investigatory commission in May. While a number of RINO Senators joined the Democrats to vote in favor of such a commission, they could not get the magic 60 votes needed in time.
Pelosi, who described the January 6 protests as “the worst assault on the Capitol since the War of 1812 and the worst domestic assault on American Democracy since the Civil War,” declared that the Select Committee will “investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the terrorist mob attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021,” and will also be “charged with reporting its findings, conclusions and recommendations for preventing future attacks.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had recommended 5 Republicans be appointed to “non-partisan” January 6 committee organized by Pelosi, including Representatives Jim Jordan and Jim Banks, who both voted to decertify election results from the 2020 presidential election, citing widely-held concerns regarding election integrity, which had not been answered at the time. (READ MORE: January 6 Detainees Sing National Anthem To Boost Morale Amid Reports Of Abuse)
“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 Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee,” Pelosi said in a statement, striking both Representatives off the list. “The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision.”
JUST IN: Speaker Pelosi denies Jordan, Banks for Jan. 6 committee pic.twitter.com/YELIaOM8dd
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) July 21, 2021
In response, McCarthy declared that he would be withdrawing the remaining GOP nominations from the committee if Pelosi did not reinstall Banks and Jordan, with Republicans ready to pursue their own investigation. “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.”
