Nancy Pelosi looking into GOP picks for 1/6 committee, rejects Jim Jordan, Jim Banks

This week, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy proposed five Republicans to join the select committee that will investigate the January 6 insurrection. Pelosi previously said that she will consider McCarthy’s picks but ultimately vetoed two members.

Last Tuesday, Pelosi said that she had yet to accept McCarthy’s recommendations to fill the remainder of the 13-member panel. So far, seven Democrats and one Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney, are already on the committee, making up most of the panel. The formation of the select committee was opposed by most of the House Republican conference save for two Reps. Who broke party lines to vote in favor of the formation.

At the time, Pelosi also reiterated that whether or not they voted to overturn the electoral votes would not be part of the criteria in the selection. The remaining five members of the panel are chosen in consultation with McCarthy. Pelosi, however, remains to have the final say on who McCarthy recommends.

McCarthy previously nominated Trump allies Jim Jordan, Jim Banks, and Troy Nehls, including Kelly Armstrong and Rodney Davis, to serve on the select committee that will be investigating the Capitol insurrection. All voted against the formation of the committee. Jordan, Banks, and Nehls voted to overturn now-former President Donald Trump’s election loss to Joe Biden, and Banks previously said that he plans on pinning the blame on Pelosi if he serves on the committee.

The select committee comes as Senate Republicans filibustered the already bipartisan proposal of the commission at the Senate, which would see five Democrats and five Republicans on the panel.

Ultimately, Pelosi’s office released a statement vetoing McCarthy’s recommendation of Jordan and Banks on the committee, telling the House Minority Leader to select two replacements while considering Nehls, Armstrong, and Davis. In response, McCarthy pulled all five of his recommendations and said he would launch a Republican investigation.

“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,” said Pelosi in the statement.

Cheney also commented on Pelosi’s vetoing of Banks and Jordan, saying that she agreed with the Democratic House Speaker and called McCarthy’s rhetoric “disgraceful.”