Kevin McCarthy announces his 5 Republicans to serve on the select committee tasked with investigating Jan. 6 Capitol riot
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has named five Republican lawmakers to serve on the upcoming select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.
McCarthy has selected Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rodney Davis of Illinois, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, Troy Nehls of Texas, and Jim Banks of Indiana.
The representatives must be approved by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in order to serve on the committee. The resolution indicates that the speaker will appoint 13 individuals and five of them are to be appointed to the committee following consultation with the minority leader.
"Make no mistake, Nancy Pelosi created this committee solely to malign conservatives and to justify the Left's authoritarian agenda," Banks said in a statement.
"Even then, I will do everything possible to give the American people the facts about the lead up to January 6, the riot on that day, and the responses from Capitol leadership and the Biden administration. I will not allow this committee to be turned into a forum for condemning millions of Americans because of their political beliefs."
Just two Republicans voted in favor of establishing the select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 episode: Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.
Cheney and Kinzinger were two of the 10 House lawmakers to vote in favor of impeaching then-President Donald Trump earlier this year in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.
Pelosi has chosen Cheney and seven Democratic lawmakers to serve on the panel.
The Democratic members chosen include: Reps. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Pete Aguilar of California, Zoe Lofgren of California, Elaine Luria of Virginia, Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, and Adam Schiff of California.
Cheney, who has been a vocal critic of Trump, was ousted from her position as House Republican conference chair earlier this year. Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York was chosen to fill the slot.
The select committee is slated to hold its first hearing on July 27.