Nancy Pelosi bars Donald Trump allies from serving on Capitol riot committee
- House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy denounced the decision as ‘an egregious abuse of power’
- In the hours after the January 26 insurrection, both Jim Banks and Jim Jordan voted to overturn Joe Biden’s presidential victory
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday rejected two Republicans tapped by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy to sit on a committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection, a decision McCarthy denounced as “an egregious abuse of power”.
McCarthy said the Republicans will not participate in the investigation if Democrats will not accept the members he appointed.
Pelosi cited the “integrity” of the investigation in refusing to accept the appointments of Indiana congressman Jim Banks, picked by McCarthy to be the top Republican on the panel, or Ohio congressman Jim Jordan. Both are close allies of former president Donald Trump, whose supporters laid siege to the Capitol that day.
“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.
