The future of the House select committee to investigate the Capitol riot was thrown into disarray Wednesday, after both House party leaders got into a back and forth fight over who will be on the committee.
Gwen Baumgardner talks through the timeline of events and analyzes the path forward for both leaders with Annie Andersen in the video above.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of the five Republicans Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy picked for the select committee. McCarthy responded by pulling all five of his picks saying they would not take part. He said he will form his own committee to investigate the Jan. 6 riot.
It all started Monday, when Minority Leader McCarthy announced his appointments to the bipartisan team. They included:
Rep. Jim Banks (IN-03), Ranking Member
Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04)
Rep. Rodney Davis (IL-13)
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (ND-AL)
Rep. Troy Nehls (TX-22)
Wednesday Morning, Speaker Pelosi announced she reached out to Minority Leader McCarthy about “objections raised about Representatives Jim Banks and Jim Jordan, and the impact their appointments may have on the integrity of the investigation.”
“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.,” Speaker Pelosi said in a statement.
Both Reps. Banks and Jordan are close allies of former President Donald Trump, whose supporters laid siege to the Capitol that day. In the hours after the insurrection, they both voted to overturn Joe Biden’s presidential victory.
Out of the three picks Pelosi did accept, Rep. Nehls voted to overturn the election, while Reps. Davis and Armstrong voted to certify the results.
It did not take long for McCarthy to respond with a statement of his own, calling Pelosi’s decision to reject his picks “An egregious abuse of power and will irreparably damage this institution”.
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,” McCarthy said. “Unless Speaker Pelosi reverses course and seats all five Republican nominees, Republicans will not be party to their sham process and will instead pursue our own investigation of the facts.”
