House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Monday tapped five House members to represent Republicans on the Democrat-led select committee investigating events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
McCarthy released his nominated members, selecting Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who chairs the conservative caucus Republican Study Committee, to be the top Republican on the committee. He also selected Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), and Troy Nehls (R-Texas) to serve on the panel.
“I have accepted Leader McCarthy’s appointment to this committee because we need leaders who will force the Democrats and the media to answer questions so far ignored. Among them, why was the Capitol unprepared and vulnerable to attack on Jan. 6,” Banks said in a statement on Monday.
The names of the potential GOP members must first be approved by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), according to committee rules.
Pelosi’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment as to whether she will accept the nominations.
The Republican House leader’s picks come after the Democrat-majority House voted in favor of forming the select committee last month despite Republicans voting that it is not necessary because probes into the events that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 are already underway in other committees of jurisdiction.
“Make no mistake, Nancy Pelosi created this committee solely to malign conservatives and to justify the left’s authoritarian agenda,” Banks said. “I will not allow this committee to be turned into a forum for condemning millions of Americans because of their political beliefs.”
Jordan is the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, Davis is the ranking member on the Committee on House Administration, Armstrong is an attorney who served on the Judiciary Committee during former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, and Nehls is a former sheriff.
Earlier this month, Pelosi named eight of 13 members of the select panel—seven Democrats and Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who called the assignment an honor.
“I’m honored to have been named to serve on the Jan. 6 select committee. Congress is obligated to conduct a full investigation of the most serious attack on our Capitol since 1814,” said Cheney in a press statement on July 1. “Our oath to the Constitution, our commitment to the rule of law, and the preservation of the peaceful transfer of power must always be above partisan politics.”
The select committee’s first hearing is set for July 27, and will see law enforcement officers testify about their experiences on Jan. 6.
As of July 6, more than 535 defendants across nearly 50 states have been charged in the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol Building, including 495 defendants who have been charged with entering or remaining in a restricted federal building or grounds, the Department of Justice said.
