Pelosi Vetoes Jim Jordan for Jan. 6 Select Committee
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected Republican Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Banks of Indiana on Wednesday as members of her House select committee to investigate the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
“Monday evening, the Minority Leader recommended 5 Members to serve on the Select Committee. I have spoken with him this morning about the objections raised about Representatives Jim Banks and Jim Jordan and the impact their appointments may have on the integrity of the investigation,” Pelosi wrote in a statement.
“I also informed him that I was prepared to appoint Representatives Rodney Davis, Kelly Armstrong and Troy Nehls, and requested that he recommend two other Members,” she added.
Pelosi also provided a brief explanation regarding her rejection of the two GOP House members.
“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,” she wrote.
“The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision,” Pelosi added.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy selected the GOP’s five members to serve on Pelosi’s select committee to investigate the Capitol incursion.
But on Thursday, he signaled Republicans would “not be party” Democrats’ “sham process” unless Pelosi changed her tune.
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi has taken the unprecedented step of denying the minority party’s picks for the Select Committee on January 6,” he said in a statement.
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“This represents 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.
“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.”
The five Republicans McCarthy had chosen to serve on the committee were Banks, Jordan, Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, North Dakota Rep. Kelly Armstrong and Texas Rep. Troy Nehls.
Announcing the appointments of Republicans who will serve on House Select Committees: https://t.co/RHzCoQGtcX
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) July 20, 2021
Of those, Jordan has the highest name recognition. In office since 2007, he’s well known for tangling with House Democrats and is widely disliked by liberals. In January, then-President Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his service during the first Trump impeachment trial.
Jordan, chair of the Republican Study Committee, said this week, “This is impeachment Round 3. … What are they going to do? The same old thing, go after President Trump.”
.@Jim_Jordan on being appointed to the Jan. 6th Select Committee: “We know what this is. This is impeachment Round 3… What are they going to do? The same old thing, go after President Trump.” @stinchfield1776 pic.twitter.com/WPvm6EOktB
— Newsmax (@newsmax) July 20, 2021
Pelosi announced the formation of a select committee after a bill to create a 9/11-style commission passed in the House but failed in a Senate vote.
McCarthy opposed the creation of a Jan. 6 commission.
“Given the political misdirections that have marred this process, given the now duplicative and potentially counterproductive nature of this effort, and given the Speaker’s shortsighted scope that does not examine interrelated forms of political violence in America, I cannot support this legislation,” McCarthy said, according to CNN.
The select committee will consist of 13 members, with eight chosen by Pelosi. Among Pelosi’s choices was one Republican, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney.
Cheney was among the few Republicans who voted to impeach Trump over the Capitol incursion.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
