It’s no secret that the 2022 election season began in November of 2020. We still have more than a year to go before that election, and the jockeying for position is obvious. One aspect of this pre-election maneuvering is the Democrats’ formation of a committee to investigate the events of January 6th. There ave been some deals made, and there are now five Republicans that have been chosen for the committee. These selections are subject to the approval of Speaker Pelosi. Three of the Republicans chosen voted against the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Yesterday NewsMax posted an article about the formation of the committee.
The article reports:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was noncommittal in approving of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s Republican picks for her Jan. 6 select committee, saying she will decide when she is “ready.”
“I’m not prepared to make a statement on that, but I’m considering his proposals,” Pelosi told CNN on Tuesday, the New York Post reported. “I want to be clear how people voted affirming the election of Joe Biden is not a criterion for service.”
Among McCarthy’s five picks, three voted against certifying the Electoral College votes: Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Banks, R-Ind.; House Judiciary Ranking Member Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio; and Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas.
Banks is leading the GOP on the panel and will also be joined on the committee by House Administration Ranking Member Rodney Davis, R-Ill.; and Rep. Kelly Armstrong, R-N.D.
The committee, put in place by Pelosi after the Senate failed to pass the Jan. 6 Commission, will hold its first hearing next week, taking testimony from law enforcement officials who were assaulted by protesters.
McCarthy has been critical of the partisan bent on the committee to review the events of Jan. 6, and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., questions Pelosi’s own handling of the security of the Capitol, potentially bringing some scrutiny on the originator of the panel.
Pelosi has permitted just five Republicans on the 12-member committee and has the authority to veto selections.
This is going to be interesting to watch. The purpose of the committee is to smear President Trump and somehow connect him to the incursion into the Capitol Building on January 6th. I suspect that if Speaker Pelosi feels that is not possible with the Republican committee selections, she will either refuse to accept the Republican committee members, cancel the committee, and blame the Republicans or she will begin a media blitz to discredit the people chosen.
Stay tuned.