'An egregious abuse of power': Kevin McCarthy slams Pelosi for blocking GOP's Jan. 6 committee appointments

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) says that unless House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) "reverses course" on her decision to block the appointments of Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) to the Jan. 6 select committee, she can forget Republican cooperation.
"Speaker Nancy Pelosi has taken the unprecedented step of denying the minority party's picks for the Select Committee on January 6. This represents an egregious abuse of power and will irreparably damage this institution," said McCarthy in a statement on Wednesday. Pelosi has all along had the authority to block McCarthy's picks.
"Unless Speaker Pelosi reverses course and seats all five Republican nominees, Republicans will not be party to their sham process and will instead pursue our own investigation of the facts," asserts McCarthy.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Monday, McCarthy nominated Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), and Troy Nehls (R-Texas), alongside Banks and Jordan, for the select committee's five GOP slots. Following their appointments, Banks condemned the committee on Twitter, and Jordan released a video trashing Democrats for objecting to the 2016 election. Banks, Jordan, and Nehls also all voted against the certification of President Biden's 2020 victory earlier in the year.
In her motion to block the two representatives, Pelosi said "concerns about the statements made and actions taken" by Banks and Jordan justify her choice to bar them from the committee. "The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision," she added. A Pelosi spokesman confirmed she will not be changing her mind, per The Hill.
Read McCarthy's full statement below.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Sail in style onboard the brand-new Explora II
The Week Recommends Hit the high seas on a luxury cruise from Barcelona to Rome
-
Is the EU funding Russia more than Ukraine?
The Explainer EU remains largest importer of Russian fossil fuels despite sanctions aimed at crippling Kremlin's war effort
-
Posh crisps: an 'elite' tier of snacking
The Week Recommends Hand-cooked and dusted in 'decadent' flavours, the humble potato chip is being elevated to new levels
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges