Pelosi hints at new Republican appointment to January 6th investigatory committee
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) telegraphed her next move for the select committee established to investigate the January 6th insurrection today in an appearance on ABC News‘ This Week Sunday morning news program.
After rejecting two of the six nominees for the committee who were proposed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Congressmen Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Jim Banks (R-IL), as “people who would jeopardize the integrity of the investigation” whose “antics” she would not tolerate, Pelosi faced the withdrawal of all five of the Republican nominees to the committee by the petulant GOP leader.
The House Speaker had already nominated one maverick GOP representative, Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY), one of the few Republicans willing to vote for the impeachment of Donald Trump for his actions that helped incite the violent invasion of Congress, to the select committee as part of the Democrats’ allocation of seats, but now it looks like she will add another dissident member of the party as well, in reaction to McCarthy’s latest refusal to cooperate in the process of establishing the investigatory panel.
Pelosi hinted to This Week host George Stephanopoulos that she plans to appoint Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), one of the other Republican legislators willing to buck the influence of Donald Trump on his party and hold the former president accountable for his actions.
““I’m not about to announce it right this minute, but you could say that that is the direction that I would be going on,” Speaker Pelosi told Stephanopoulos when he asked about Rep. Kinzinger.
She demurred at making any formal announcement about the appointment before having discussed the matter directly with the Illinois lawmaker, who has been one of Trump’s most vocal critics within the GOP.
Stephanopoulos directly asked Pelosi whether she would be appointing more Republicans to the panel to avoid characterizations of the investigation as a hyper-partisan witch hunt.
Replying “that would be my plan,” Speaker Pelosi added “perhaps after I speak to Adam Kinzinger.”
Pelosi also revealed that both Kinzinger and other GOP representatives have “expressed an interest” in joining the select committee.
Whoever Pelosi decides to appoint to the panel, the pressure to move quickly to begin the investigation and hold those responsible for inciting the rebellion accountable is growing among restive Democratic activists who are losing patience with the slow pace of the inquiry over six months after the insurrection took place.
You can view an excerpt of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s appearance on ABC News‘ This Week in the clip below.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells @GStephanopoulos that she plans to name more Republicans to the Jan. 6 select committee after vetoing two of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s recommendations: “You could say that's the direction I would be going." https://t.co/3NlObOqjFv pic.twitter.com/4hJwViTMxK
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 25, 2021
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Original reporting by Mychael Schnell at The Hill.
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Vinnie Longobardo is the Managing Editor of Occupy Democrats. He's a 35-year veteran of the TV, mobile & internet industries, specializing in start-ups and the international media business. His passions are politics, music, and art.