WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just two days after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced his GOP picks for the Jan. 6 investigation committee, it’s back to square one for the Republicans.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of McCarthy’s picks for the committee on Wednesday, including Ohio’s Fourth District Congressman Jim Jordan. The other Pelosi veto was Indiana Rep. Jim Banks, who was supposed to be the ranking member of the committee.
Jordan and Banks addressed the issue during a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“I don’t think (Democrats) are going to address the fundamental question of why wasn’t there a proper security presence at the Capitol that day,” Jordan said. “Only one person can answer that question, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.”
Pelosi recommended that McCarthy find two new nominees to fit the bill but could be prepared to move forward without any Republican nominees, as McCarthy signals a possible boycott. Pelosi shared a statement on Wednesday regarding her decision.
“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. “The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision.”
Even if the show goes on without McCarthy’s group of House Republicans in the mix, Jordan still thinks the GOP will find the answers to their questions on their own.
“They just want to be partisan, they just want to continue to attack the former president, they want to play their political games,” Jordan said. “So I applaud Leader McCarthy for saying ‘we’re going to do our job, we’re going to continue to work’ and answer the questions the leader raised, questions that the American people want answers to.”
With McCarthy’s picks off the table, the committee as it stands now includes seven Democrats, with Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson serving as chairman, and one Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming. The committee is expected to convene for the first time on July 27.
