Cheney Backs Pelosi's Rejection Of GOP Extremists For Jan. 6 Panel

Reprinted with permission from American Independent

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) had choice words for House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, accusing him of doing everything in his power to block a legitimate investigation into the January 6 attack at the Capitol.

Cheney made the comments after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of McCarthy's five picks — Reps. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Jim Jordan (R-OH) — for the select committee to investigate the insurrection. McCarthy slammed Pelosi's decision to reject those two members, vowing that Republicans will now not participate in the investigative committee at all.

But Cheney sided with Pelosi in the matter, saying that Banks and Jordan — who have openly sympathized with the Trump mob that stormed the Capitol — would have prevented the committee from actually doing real investigative work.

"She has objected to two members and the rhetoric around this from the minority leader and from those two members has been disgraceful," Cheney told reporters on the steps of the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon. "This must be an investigation that is focused on facts, and the idea that any of this has become politicized is really unworthy of the office that we all hold and unworthy of our republic."

Cheney went on to say that McCarthy has taken "every opportunity" to try to block a probe into the attack, which Cheney has accused former President Donald Trump of inciting.

And she said that his appointment of Banks and Jordan was one of those opportunities to thwart a legitimate investigation.

"She objected to two [of McCarthy's picks], one of whom may well be a material witness to events that led to that day, that led to January 6," Cheney said, referring to Jordan, who reportedly spoke to Trump during the insurrection.

As for Banks, Cheney said he "disqualified himself by his comments in particular over the last 24 hours demonstrating that he is not taking this seriously. He is not dealing with the facts of this investigation but rather viewed it as a political platform."

Banks said in a statement after McCarthy appointed him that he was there to protect Trump and made attempts to blame the attack on Pelosi and President Joe Biden's administration, even though it had not yet begun when the Trump-supporting mob violently beat law enforcement to enter the Capitol to prevent a peaceful transition of power.

Since Pelosi's decision to nix those two members, McCarthy and Banks have been on a media tour to try to paint the committee as political and a farce.

But the Congressional investigation will go on, with the select committee set to hold its first hearing on July 27.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.