House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) blasted Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday for her choice in nominees to the select committee probing the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, claiming that the picks “share her pre-conceived narrative.”
“Speaker Pelosi’s rejection of the Republican nominees to serve on the committee and self-appointment of members who share her pre-conceived narrative will not yield a serious investigation,” McCarthy wrote in a statement.
McCarthy argued that Pelosi “has structured this select committee to satisfy her political objectives.”
“She had months to work with Republicans on a reasonable and fair approach to get answers on the events and security failures surrounding January 6,” he added.
“Lost in much of the news coverage is the fact that the Senate has already conducted bipartisan investigations that should serve as a roadmap for the House,” McCarthy added.
The minority leader claimed that Pelosi “destroyed” the committee’s credibility.
“Speaker Pelosi’s departure from this serious-minded approach has destroyed the select committee’s credibility. The U.S. Capitol and the men and women who protect it suffered a massive leadership failure. We must make sure that never happens again and that is what Republicans will be focused on,” he said.
McCarthy’s statement came hours after Pelosi appointed Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) to join the panel, making him the second GOP member on the committee.
Pelosi’s pick, which came two days before the committee is set to hold its first hearing, followed a week of news relating to the Jan. 6 investigation.
The drama began when Pelosi rejected two of McCarthy’s picks to sit on the committee: Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.), both of whom are staunch supporters of former President Trump.
Pelosi in a statement said she was turning down their nominations “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.”
McCarthy responded to the move by yanking all five of his nominees from the committee, leaving Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.), who was placed on the panel by Pelosi, as the only Republican in the group at the time.
On Sunday, however, Pelosi announced in a statement that Kinzinger would be joining the committee, writing in a statement that the Republican House member “brings great patriotism to the Committee’s mission: to find the facts and protect our Democracy.”
Kinzinger welcomed the nomination in a statement, writing, “When duty calls, I will always answer.”
“Today, I was asked by the Speaker to serve on the House Select Committee to Investigate January 6th and I humbly accepted. I will work diligently to ensure we get to the truth and hold those responsible for the attack fully accountable,” he added.
Kinzinger and Cheney are two of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for a second time in January on a charge of inciting an insurrection.