House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hinted on August 16 that the reason she rejected Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Jim Banks (R-IN) were targets of her select committee on the January 6 Capitol riots.
In an interview, Pelosi said that the two Republicans were outrageous nominations to her committee made by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). Pelosi used the veto power she gave herself when forming the committee to reject Jordan and Banks.
In stating that Jordan and Banks were never going to be on the committee, Pelosi said, “we’ll see what the committee finds out about them.” She said they would both have been clowns and not severe, adding that both Congressmen are still participating in the big lie.
Pelosi also touted the two Republicans she chose for the committee, Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. She said that Cheney is as courageous as anyone she had ever seen in Congress and that she is informed, eloquent, and patriotic.
Cheney and Kinzinger are both longstanding opponents of President Donald Trump and voted in favor of the impeachment proceeding against him instituted by Pelosi after January 6.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MD) has previously said that nothing will be off-limits for the committee as it decides what to investigate and what subpoenas to issue. Kinzinger has said that he favors issuing subpoenas to leading Congressional Republicans to compel their testimony before the committee.
Rep. Banks responded by stating that he believes Pelosi uses the committee to target him and other political opponents, including Jordan. He said that she is engaging in an abuse of power and needs to be held accountable. Banks added that Pelosi is engaging in banana republic politics that do not belong in America. She has damaged Congressional unity and American democracy more than any single politician ever.
