McCarthy Chooses Trump Loyalists for Jan. 6 Inquiry

Politics|Trump loyalists apical McCarthy’s database of picks for the Jan. 6 inquiry, signaling a partisan brawl.

• July 20, 2021, 12:27 p.m. ET

Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the number leader, has chosen a brace of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump’s staunchest and astir combative allies to beryllium among his 5 picks to beryllium connected the peculiar House committee investigating the Jan. 6 onslaught connected the Capitol, signaling a partisan conflict to travel implicit the inquiry.

Mr. McCarthy and Republicans had opposed the instauration of the committee, which is to scrutinize the mob unit that delayed Congress’s ceremonial adoption of President Biden’s victory. The 13-member prime committee, created connected a party-line ballot of the House, volition person 7 Democrats and six Republican members, aft Speaker Nancy Pelosi appointed Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and a harsh professional of Mr. Trump’s actions connected Jan. 6, among her 8 members.

The committee, which is chaired by Representative Bennie G. Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi, is scheduled to person its archetypal gathering July 27 to perceive from members of the Capitol and District of Columbia constabulary forces who fought disconnected the mob.

Ms. Pelosi inactive indispensable hold to the 5 Republicans Mr. McCarthy has selected. If helium gets his way, they volition be:

Representative Jim Banks, Republican of Indiana

Mr. Banks, the president of the blimpish Republican Study Committee, volition beryllium the ranking subordinate of the panel. He precocious led respective House Republicans connected a travel to articulation Mr. Trump astatine an lawsuit astatine the southwestern border.

He voted against certifying electoral votes for Mr. Biden connected Jan. 6 and against creating an independent, bipartisan committee to analyse the attack.

In a connection connected Tuesday, helium said Ms. Pelosi had created the sheet “solely to malign conservatives and to warrant the left’s authoritarian agenda.”

“I volition not let this committee to beryllium turned into a forum for condemning millions of Americans due to the fact that of their governmental beliefs,” helium added.

Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio

A founding subordinate of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, Mr. Jordan is simply a pugnacious state of Mr. Trump who led the effort to discredit the Russia probe by Robert S. Mueller III and who was 1 of the erstwhile president’s astir strident defenders during his archetypal impeachment. Just earlier leaving office, Mr. Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Mr. Jordan besides voted against certifying electoral votes for Mr. Biden connected Jan. 6 and against creating an independent, bipartisan committee to analyse the attack.

On Tuesday, helium branded the prime committee “impeachment Round Three,” telling Newsmax, “This is to spell aft President Trump.”

Representative Rodney Davis, Republican of Illinois

Mr. Davis is the apical Republican connected the House Administration Committee, wherever helium has studied Capitol information failures, and is known arsenic a pragmatist.

He did not articulation his party’s effort to invalidate electoral votes for Mr. Biden connected Jan. 6, and helium was 1 of lone 35 Republicans who voted to make an independent, bipartisan committee to analyse the attack.

He told the Herald & Review successful January that the onslaught connected the Capitol was the “second astir terrifying moment” helium had experienced arsenic a subordinate of Congress aft a shooting that took spot connected a shot tract successful 2017.

“It’s tragic we’ve gotten to this constituent successful the state that radical consciousness they tin perpetrate acts of unit due to the fact that they’re inspired by politics,” helium said.

Representative Kelly Armstrong, Republican of North Dakota

Mr. Armstrong is simply a erstwhile transgression defence lawyer who earned praise from Mr. Trump for his defence during the erstwhile president’s archetypal impeachment trial.

He did not entity to electoral votes for Mr. Biden connected Jan. 6, but helium voted against the instauration of an independent, bipartisan enquiry connected the riot.

Mr. Armstrong, who was successful the House balcony during the attack, has condemned conspiracy theories astir the riot, and praised Capitol Police for their response.

Representative Troy Nehls, Republican of Texas

A erstwhile sheriff, Mr. Nehls was among the lawmakers who assisted Capitol Police successful barricading the doorway to the House level during the Jan. 6 attack. Hours later, helium joined astir Republicans successful voting against counting electoral votes for Mr. Biden. He besides opposed forming an independent, bipartisan committee to investigate.