Pelosi says she did not reject Jordan and Banks over Electoral College objections
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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that her decision not to allow Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) to serve on the Jan. 6 select committee was not driven by their votes against certifying the 2020 election, but by statements they've made that "make it impossible for them to exercise judgment."
Why it matters: Pelosi's move to reject two of the five appointments offered by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has set off intense backlash among Republicans, prompting McCarthy to pull all five off the committee and threaten to pursue his own investigation.
- Pelosi noted that she accepted McCarthy's recommendation to appoint Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), who also objected to the certification of President Biden's Electoral College victory. She also accepted his appointments of Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) and Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.).
- Pelosi cited Banks' statement that he would investigate the Biden administration and Capitol leadership's response to the Jan. 6 attack as one example of why it would be "ridiculous" to have him serve on the committee.
What she's saying: "As the legislation allows, I did not accept two of the five people who were appointed. As they have made statements and taken actions that I think would impact the integrity of the committee, the work of the committee. This is deadly serious. This is about our Constitution," Pelosi said at a press conference.
- "Of the three [McCarthy picks] that I appointed, one of them voted against the ratification and the other two voted for it. Having said that, though, the other two [Jordan and Banks] made statements and took actions that just made it ridiculous to put them on such a committee seeking the truth," she added.
- Asked about McCarthy's threat to launch his own investigation, Pelosi responded, "I'm not concerned. Let's not waste each other's time."
