(USA Features) House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is pulling all five Republicans he named to sit on a Jan. 6 committee empaneled by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after she rejected two of his nominees.
“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,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a .
“I must reject the recommendations of Representatives [Jim] Banks [R-Ind.] and [Jim] Jordan [R-Ohio] to the Select Committee,” she said. “The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision.”
McCarthy, in response, pulled all five names, calling Pelosi’s move “an egregious abuse of power” that 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,” McCarthy added.
Pelosi said she would let Reps. Rodney Davis, Kelly Armstrong, and Troy Nehls onto the committee, which is controlled by Democrats, after she formed it when Republican senators rejected its formation saying it would be partisan and unnecessary since the FBI and other congressional committees were already investigating the Jan. 6 riot.
“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.,” McCarthy noted further.
Previously, Pelosi named Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming, a strong critic of former President Donald Trump, to the panel.
Jordan and Banks, meanwhile, are staunch supporters of Trump.
“What is Nancy Pelosi afraid of?” House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York asked in a separate statement, describing the select committee “an absolute sham.”