Speaker Nancy Pelosi will not allow two of the most extreme members of the Republican caucus to sit on the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack. Pelosi Wednesday vetoed two of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s nominees: Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Jim Banks (R-IN).
Within minutes from her announcement, McCarthy declared he would pull all Republicans from the Committee. It’s unclear if that includes Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who was appointed by Pelosi.
“I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee,” Pelosi had said in a statement. “The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision,” Pelosi said, as Politico reports.
“We need a comprehensive investigation as to who organized this attack, who paid for it, how they nearly succeeded in overthrowing a presidential election, why they did it and how we must organize ourselves to prevent anything like it from ever happening again,” Pelosi added in her statement.
Both Jordan and Banks voted to overturn the election. McCarthy had nominated Banks to be the Committee’s Ranking Member.
The Speaker announced she would accept freshman Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), who “also voted not to certify Biden’s win,” Political noted. Pelosi also said she “is “prepared to appoint” Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), who did vote to certify the election.