The top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee Monday blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s proposed resolution establishing a select committee to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
Rep. John Katko (R-NY) argued that the committee would be “be a turbo-charged partisan exercise, not an honest fact-finding body that the American people and Capitol Police deserve.”
“I will not support its creation when voted upon,” Katko added. “Recognizing the deeply disappointing departure this represents from a truly bipartisan solution, I have a hard time envisioning a scenario where I would participate, if asked.”
Katko, along with House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), struck a deal last month on legislation to form an independent commission to examine the riot and the events surrounding it. The House passed the bill by a 252-175 vote, with 35 Republicans joining Democrats to support the measure.
However, the bill fell six votes short of overcoming the Senate’s 60-vote legislative filibuster, despite support from six Republicans: Mitt Romney of Utah, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rob Portman of Ohio and Ben Sasse of Nebraska.
The Katko-Thompson legislation would have allowed each party to select five people with expertise in national security and law enforcement to sit on the commission.
Pelosi’s resolution, which is expected to pass along party lines this week, allows her to appoint eight of the select committee’s 13 members, the other five of whom “shall be appointed after consultation with the minority leader [Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.].”
A Pelosi aide suggested Monday that the Speaker was “seriously considering including a Republican among her eight appointments to the Select Committee,” but GOP House members were not impressed.
Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), who like Katko voted to impeach former President Donald Trump on a charge of inciting the riot, predicted that Pelosi’s commission “will end up being a partisan shouting match that accomplishes next to nothing and only serves to further divide us.
“I wish the Senate would revisit the bipartisan approach that was negotiated in good faith by John Katko,” added Gonzalez, who is facing a primary challenge from former Trump adviser Max Miller in 2022. “That was a good bill and the right direction on January 6th.”
Pelosi told reporters last week that she would have preferred a bipartisan commission, but felt it was necessary to forge ahead with her own plan following last month’s Senate vote.
Top Republicans have accused Democrats of politicizing the attack, with McCarthy coming out against both the bipartisan agreement and the select panel.
“When it comes to what happened on Jan. 6, we want to get to the bottom of that. It’s disgusting what transpired that day,” McCarthy told reporters last week. “Unfortunately, the speaker has always played politics with this. Time and again. She’s never once talked to me about it.”
Democrats have discussed the possibility of calling McCarthy to testify before the committee about his conversation with Trump on the day of the attack. Rep. Jamie Herrera Buetler (R-Wash.) has gone on record to claim that the former president told McCarthy: “Well Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you.”
Pelosi declined to weigh in on whether she believes McCarthy should testify, telling reporters on Friday it will be up to the committee to decide which witnesses they will call.
Beutler, who also voted to impeach Trump, announced she would vote against the select committee resolution, saying “it’s not going to do what we need.”
“The whole goal is getting the truth out, we’ve got to get the truth out, and I’m not afraid to stand against anybody on that front,” she said. “I want something the American people can believe, and find credible. And the only way to do that I believe is a 9/11-style commission, which I voted for. I truly believe it needs to be not current members. It’s hard to go against your own team, let me tell you.”
A spokesperson for another pro-impeachment Republican, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, told the Post that the lawmaker “does not want an investigation to turn political; he just wants to get to the truth and for the American people to have full transparency.
“That being said, our party blocked that first opportunity and now we need answers,” the spokesperson continued. “Whether Congressman Kinzinger serves on the Select Committee is up to Speaker Pelosi.”
The riot took place when pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol in an attempt to derail the certification of the 2020 presidential election result. The riot led to the deaths of five people, including US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.
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