Pelosi undeterred by GOP threat

Inquiry into Capitol riot will go ahead regardless, she says

WASHINGTON — Unfazed by Republican threats of a boycott, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared Thursday that a congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection will take on its “deadly serious” work whether Republicans participate or not.

The Republicans’ House leader, Kevin McCarthy, called the committee a “sham process” and suggested that GOP lawmakers who take part could face consequences. McCarthy said Pelosi’s rejection of two of the Republicans he had attempted to appoint to the panel was an “egregious abuse of power.”

The escalating tension between the two parties — before the investigation has even started — is emblematic of the partisan anger that has only worsened on Capitol Hill since former President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed to the Capitol and interrupted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory. With many of the Republican lawmakers still loyal to Trump and downplaying the severity of the attack, there is little bipartisan unity to be found.

McCarthy said Wednesday that he would withdraw the names of all five Republicans he had appointed after Pelosi rejected two of them, Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio. Pelosi made clear Thursday that she won’t relent, and Democrats considered filling the empty seats themselves.

“It is my responsibility as the speaker of the House to make sure we get to the truth of this, and we will not let their antics stand in the way of that,” Pelosi said of the Republicans.

It is unclear, for now, whether Pelosi will try to appoint more members to the select panel, as she has the authority to do under committee rules. She left open that possibility, saying there are other members who would like to participate.

Because the investigation is being handled by a new select committee, Pelosi has the final say as speaker over its membership, though Republicans have the right to consult on five out of its 13 members. She has already given one of the eight Democratic seats to Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a former member of Republican leadership who was ousted for criticizing Trump and her party for trying to undermine the 2020 election results and fomenting the riot.

The addition of Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., would make the panel more bipartisan and ensure at least some Republican support for its work.

Like Cheney, Kinzinger has been unsparing in his criticism of Trump and his own party after the Capitol

Rep. Bennie Thomson, D-Miss., who will lead the committee, confirmed to CNN on Thursday that Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., was being considered. He said the 43-yearold Air Force veteran would be a “welcome addition.”

was stormed. He has argued that unless Republicans seriously reckon with the former president’s trail of lies about a stolen election and the dangerous forces it unleashed in the country, they risk undermining American democracy.

Rep. Bennie Thomson, D-Miss., who will lead the committee, confirmed to CNN on Thursday that Kinzinger was being considered. He said the 43-year-old Air Force veteran would be a “welcome addition.”

The people who described the discussions, who requested anonymity to discuss them frankly, cautioned that no final decision had been made on appointing Kinzinger. His spokesperson did not comment.

Democrats have discussed the possibility of adding other Republicans whom they trust to take the committee’s work seriously. But several conceded that Kinzinger may be the only one other than Cheney willing to buck McCarthy, who suggested in recent weeks that any Republican member who accepted an appointment from Pelosi would lose their seats on other committees.

Banks and Jordan are outspoken allies of Trump, who has continued to spread lies about fraud in the election and has defended his supporters who broke into the Capitol. The rioters fought past police and sent lawmakers inside running for their lives.

The House voted in May to create an independent investigation that would have been evenly split between the parties, but Senate Republicans blocked that approach in a vote last month. Pelosi said the new panel was being created only because a bipartisan commission was no longer an option.

Asked Thursday if Cheney — and potentially Kinzinger — could be stripped of their regular committee assignments as retaliation for participating, McCarthy said “the conference will look at it.” Cheney accepted the assignment from Pelosi earlier this month despite similar threats from McCarthy.

Pelosi accepted McCarthy’s three other picks — Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D., and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas. But McCarthy said that all five or none would participate.

Like Jordan and Banks, Nehls voted to overturn Biden’s victory. Armstrong and Davis voted to certify the election.

The panel is also considering hiring former Rep. Denver Riggleman of Virginia, a Republican who has criticized Trump’s lies about election fraud, as an outside adviser, according to a person familiar with the committee’s work who was granted anonymity to discuss the private talks.

Cheney told reporters that she agrees with Pelosi’s decision to reject the two Republicans named by McCarthy.

“At every opportunity, the minority leader has attempted to prevent the American people from understanding what happened — to block this investigation,” Cheney said.

The panel will hold its first hearing next week, with at least four police officers who battled rioters testifying about their experiences. Members of the committee met Thursday afternoon to prepare.