House Republicans on Tuesday blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the January 6 Capitol riot, accusing her of neglecting her duties and demanding answers about her role in the violent attack, The Hill reported.
"On January 6 these brave officers were put into a vulnerable and impossible position because the leadership at the top failed," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters before the House select committee met for the first time.
The GOP said Pelosi failed to approve the activation of the National Guard that day and is now trying to avoid tough questions by refusing to seat on the committee two allies of former President Donald Trump - Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Jim Banks (Indiana).
McCarthy said Pelosi "will only pick on people onto the committee that will ask the questions she wants asked. That becomes a failed committee and a failed report, a sham that no one can believe. If you want the true answers, do not be afraid of the questions that will get asked and drive the evidence to wherever it comes forward," according to Fox News.
Jordan asked, “why don't they want to answer the fundamental question, which is why wasn't there a better security posture on that day?" The Hill reported.
Pelosi's office quickly issued a statement rejecting the charges, saying,"now that the bipartisan Select Committee is beginning its work, the only tools left in House Republicans’ arsenal are deflection, distortion, and disinformation."
The Speaker’s office also said the Capitol Police Board, and not congressional leaders, oversee the everyday decisions about Capitol security, and stressed that Pelosi never denied a request to activate the National Guard.
McCarthy and the Republicans also criticized House Administration Committee Chairwoman Rep. Zoe Lofgren for staying away from Washington for much of last year due to the coronavirus pandemic and neglecting the duties of the committee, which has jurisdiction over the workings of the Capitol complex.
The GOP also slammed fellow Republican representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who were appointed by Pelosi to the select committee, calling them "Pelosi Republicans" who no longer speak for the GOP.
"This committee is completely partisan from top to bottom," said Texas Rep. Troy Nehls.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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