'This is deadly serious': Pelosi says she rejected two Republicans from Capitol riot commission because she didn't want their 'antics to stand in the way' after one promised to probe BIDEN administration's response to Jan 6 assault
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday defended her decision to reject two Republicans nominated for the Capitol riot committee, saying their 'antics' were in danger of getting in the way of finding the truth behind what happened on Jan. 6.
Republicans accused her playing politics by rejecting Rep. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks.
But, during her weekly news conference, she said the pair had a history of making statements that would have made it impossible for them to display 'balanced judgment,' including blaming the Biden administration for events that unfolded before it had even formed.
'To that end, it is my responsibility as Speaker of the House, to make sure we get to the truth on this, and we will not let their antics, stand in the way of that,' she said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday defended her decision to bar two Republicans from joining the commission to investigate the Jan. 6 violence saying their 'antics' would get in the way of uncovering the truth. Republicans have accused her of playing politics
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy nominated Reps Jim Banks and Jim Jordan for the Jan 6. commission among his five picks. But on Wednesday Pelosi rejected them, triggering a political row and accusations that she was intent on going after former President Trump
The House select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol is due to meet for the first time next week as it probes the attack on Congress that left five people dead
The panel is due to hold its first hearing next week into violence that left five people dead after supporters of former President Trump stormed the U.S. Congress.
It will hear from law enforcement officers who battled protesters.
Under the terms of the select committee, Pelosi was able to name eight members and Republican leader Kevin McCarthy had five picks.
Pelosi accepted three of the Republican nominations but rejected Jordan and Banks.
The two Republicans are outspoken allies of former President Trump, leading to accusations that Pelosi was embarked on a witch hunt. McCarthy then withdrew all five of his nominations.
He expressed his outrage during a Thursday news conference. He questioned why Pelosi would object to Afghanistan veteran Banks but not Democratic Rep. Benny Thompson who dropped a lawsuit against Trump over the Jan. 6 riot in order to take up the committee's chairmanship.
'It doesn't matter today what she does with that committee, because it's not going to change the outcome of what seems like a pre determined or already written report,' he said.
Earlier Pelosi hit back against critics who accused her of being intent on taking down Trump.
'We're there to get the truth, not to get Trump,' she said spelling it out.
'T-R-U truth. Trump that seems to be what the other side is obsessed with.
'So as legislation allows I didn't accept two of the five people were appointed, they had made statements and taken actions that I think would impact the integrity of the commission of the committee, the work as a committee,' she said.
'This is deadly serious. This is about our constitution, it's about our country.'
The House select committee to due to hold its first hearing next week when it is expected to hear from law enforcement officers about the events of Jan. 6
Pelosi said she blocked Banks because he promised to investigate the Biden administration's response to the attack, even though President Biden was not yet in power
By way of example she cited a combative statement released by Banks on Monday evening in which he promised to use his role on the commission to investigate the response of the Biden administration to the riot.
'There was no Biden administration on January so let's not go into that,' she said.
In his statement, after being named to the committee by McCarthy, Banks promised to address questions being ignored by Democrats.
'Even then, I will do everything possible to give the American people the facts about the lead up to January 6, the riot that day, and the responses from Capitol leadership and the Biden administration,' he said.
'I will not allow this committee to be turned into a forum for condemning millions of Americans because of their political beliefs.'
Two days later he accused Pelosi of running from the facts.
'I’m a sitting member of Congress and served my country in Afghanistan and the Speaker knows how hard I will fight for my country,' he said.
'We said all along that this was a purely partisan exercise by the Democrats and Nancy Pelosi’s rejection of me and Jim Jordan shows once again she is the most partisan figure in America today.'
The panel has been beset by partisan wrangling from the off. Last month, all but two Republicans opposed the select committee in a House vote.
'Why wasn't there proper security presence?': Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan blames Nancy Pelosi for rioters breaching the Capitol after she rejects his nomination for January 6 investigation committee
Rep. Jim Jordan has blamed Nancy Pelosi for allowing rioters to breach the Capitol on January 6, saying it was her responsibility as Speaker to have a proper security presence in place.
The Republican Congressman's comments came after he and Jim Banks - both known Trump supporters - were rejected by Pelosi for serving on the special committee investigating the Capitol insurrection.
'The fundamental question is why wasn't there a proper security posture that day? It wasn't like we didn't know there was a rally in town. It wasn’t like we didn’t know it would be a big rally, after all it was a President Trump rally,' the Ohio representative told Fox's Tucker Carlson on Wednesday.
'Why wasn't there a proper security presence? That is a question that only the speaker of the United States House of Representatives can answer.'
'My guess is the reason she didn't have the proper presence there is because - think about what happened last year. The Democrats normalized anarchy.
'They said oh, if you are a rioter or a looter, you are attacking police that we are defunding and you are destroying small business we are going to raise money to bail you out of jail.
'So with that background, she couldn't have the presence that you need that day.'
Republicans have pushed the security question, trying to shift the focus of the riot to Democrats, who are focusing on Trump's role.
Pelosi's office has noted neither she nor Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, who was leader of the Senate on January 6th, were in charge of security operations.
'I will say again the Speaker of the House is not in charge of the security of the U.S. Capitol Complex any more than former Senate Majority Leader McConnell was on 1/6,' Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill wrote on Twitter.
Security in the Capitol is run by the US Capitol Police Board, which consists of the House Sergeant at Arms, the Senate Sergeant at Arms, the Architect of the Capitol, and the head of US Capitol Police.
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan blamed Nancy Pelosi for allowing rioters to breach the Capitol on January 6 because she didn't a property security presence in place on Fox's Tucker Carlson's Wednesday night show
Jordan told Carlson that he believes his nomination to the committee was rejected because 'she just doesn't want to answer that fundamental question or any other questions,' referring to his question about having security in place.
Carlson agreed with Jordan, and added: 'Immediately after January 6th, Pelosi called the army in, built a wall - ironically - around building for the Capitol police, her own Praetorian guard, et cetera. So she is clearly for law enforcement when they protect her.'
Pelosi used her power as speaker to reject Jordan and Banks from the special committee on Wednesday.
In response, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled all five of his Republican nominees to the committee, prompting a day of finger pointing.
Each side accused the other of playing politics with the panel tasked to study the origins and effects of the riot, which resulted in five deaths and damage to historic artifacts in the Capitol.
And each side feared with the other would ask: Democrats putting the focus on former President Donald Trump and his actions that day; Republicans questioning why there wasn't enough security at the Capitol, which would have fallen under Pelosi's purview as Speaker.
McCarthy charged Pelosi with 'playing politics' and creating a 'sham process' with her decision to reject Banks and Jordan, both strong allies of Trump, from serving on the panel.
'This is all political and we have known it from the start,' Jordan told Carlson on his Wednesday show.
Both Jordan and Banks voted to challenge certification of President Joe Biden's election victory and have promoted the false argument that Trump actually won in 2020 and was the victim of election fraud.