AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades
- Pelosi has tapped Rep. Adam Kinzinger to serve on the select committee that will investigate the January 6 Capitol attack.
- “When duty calls, I will always answer,” the congressman said in accepting the appointment.
- Pelosi hopes to add additional Republicans to the committee in the coming days.
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday named GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois to the select committee set to investigate the January 6 Capitol attack.
During a morning appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” the California Democrat said she would have to consult with Kinzinger about the committee, who has been one of the most prominent Republican voices against former President Donald Trump’s influence within the party.
Shortly after Pelosi’s television appearance, Kinzinger released a statement confirming that he would join the committee.
“Today, I was asked by the Speaker to serve on the House Select Committee to Investigate January 6th and I humbly accepted,” he wrote. “I will work diligently to ensure we get to the truth and hold those responsible for the attack fully accountable.”
He added: “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 US Capitol Complex on January 6, 2021. … Let me be clear, I’m a Republican dedicated to conservative values, but I swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution – and while this is not the position I expected to be in or sought out, when duty calls, I will always answer.”
-Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) July 25, 2021
In a statement, Pelosi praised Kinzinger for joining the committee.
“He brings great patriotism to the Committee’s mission: to find the facts and protect our Democracy,” she said.
When asked on ABC if she planned to appoint additional Republicans to the panel, Pelosi expressed her support.
“That would be my plan … other Republicans have expressed an interest to serve on the select committee,” she said.
GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who in May was removed from her leadership role as House Republican Conference Chair over her criticism of Trump, will be a part of the committee.
Kinzinger and Cheney were among 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in January for “incitement of insurrection” over his role in the riot.
Last week, Pelosi rejected the selection of GOP Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio to the committee investigating the Capitol riot, citing “concern about statements made and actions taken by these Members.”
Banks and Jordan are both deeply conservative and longtime Trump loyalists. The two men also voted to challenge President Joe Biden’s Electoral College certification, but Pelosi said that the vote did not drive her decision to boot them from the committee.
After Pelosi’s decision, GOP House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California said that he would pull every Republican member from the committee and pursue a separate Jan. 6 investigation, an effort that the speaker dismissed last week.
Pelosi indicated last week that she could back the appointments of McCarthy’s other committee picks, which included GOP Reps. Rodney Davis of Illinois, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, and Troy Nehls of Texas.
However, on “This Week,” the speaker doubled down on her opposition to Banks and Jordan being a part of the panel.
“The two that I would not appoint are people who would jeopardize the integrity of the investigation,” she said. “There’s no way I would tolerate their antics as we seek the truth.”
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