Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Sunday said he accepted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s invitation to join the Jan. 6 commission after the Democratic leader stonewalled two GOP appointees to the panel.
Earlier in the day, Pelosi indicated on a segment of ABC News’s This Week that it was her “plan” to select Kinzinger, an outspoken critic of the GOP response in the aftermath of the Capitol breach, after she was reported to be mulling the decision for at least a week.
“Today, I was asked by the Speaker to serve on the House Select Committee to Investigate January 6th and I humbly accepted,” Kinzinger said in a statement. “I will work diligently to ensure we get to the truth and hold those responsible for the attack fully accountable.”
“For months, we have searched for answers and what process we should use to get them,” he added. “For months, lies and conspiracy theories have been spread, threatening our self-governance. For months, I have said that the American people deserve transparency and truth on how and why thousands showed up to attack our democracy, and ultimately, what led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol Complex on January 6, 2021.”
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Earlier in the week, Rep. Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the Jan. 6 committee, said Kinzinger would be a “welcome addition” to the panel.
“I think the speaker’s leadership on appointing people who actually want to get to the facts and not giving people who have already determined that President Biden was at fault — that’s completely out of the realm of reality,” the Mississippi Democrat told CNN. “We will follow the facts.”
On Wednesday, Pelosi barred Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana or Jim Jordan of Ohio from participation in the group after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy selected them. Democrats previously filled eight seats on the panel, and McCarthy was responsible for appointing five members. Pelosi did not take issue with three of his picks.
“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,” the California Democrat said in a statement at the time.
“The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision.”
Moments after the top Democrat’s decision, McCarthy chose to withdraw all his GOP appointments to the commission as he vowed Republicans would “pursue” their “own investigation” into the Jan. 6 breach.
“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 said.
McCarthy later said the panel has forfeited all “legitimacy and credibility” following Pelosi’s move, which he said politicized the committee.
“This represents an egregious abuse of power and will irreparably damage this institution,” McCarthy said. “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.”
The spat between the pair has led the conservative House Freedom Caucus to call for Pelosi’s removal. On Friday, lawmakers sought “to vacate the chair and end Nancy Pelosi’s authoritarian reign as Speaker of the House.”
“Speaker Pelosi’s tenure is destroying the House of Representatives and our ability to faithfully represent the people we are here to serve,” the GOP leaders wrote in a letter. “Republicans, under your leadership, must show the American people that we will act to protect our ability to represent their interests.”
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Democrats want the panel to investigate the role of former President Donald Trump and Republicans in inciting the riot and facilitating the breach of the Capitol by hundreds of protesters. However, Republicans say the group should examine the serious security lapses and lack of security preparation ahead of the protests. They also want to know whether Democratic leaders denied help offered ahead of time by the National Guard.
The panel will include one House Republican as Pelosi has previously selected Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, an outspoken critic of Trump.
