Pelosi Taps Republican Liz Cheney To Sit On New Committee
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney as a member of her newly-created committee that would investigate the January 6 Capitol Hill chaos — becoming the only Republican among the top Democrat’s picks for the role.
NEWS: PELOSI has appointed @Liz_Cheney to the select committee
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) July 1, 2021
“We’re very honored and proud that she has agreed to serve on the committee,” Pelosi said on Thursday as she announced Cheney’s new designation.
Cheney, already ousted from the House leadership of the GOP, has consistently pointed fingers at former Republican President Donald Trump for triggering the Capitol attack.
The Wyoming Republican — who held the GOP conference chairman post before being voted out — also earlier swore to “do everything” she can to “ensure that the former president never again gets anywhere near the Oval Office.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has named Republican Rep. Liz Cheney to a new select committee on the violent Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol.https://t.co/yqSiqW9FcJ
— KYW Newsradio – NOW ON 103.9 FM! (@KYWNewsradio) July 1, 2021
On Wednesday, Cheney voted with all Democrats in favor of forming the committee to investigate January 6 incident along with Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger.
Cheney said upon her appointment in the committee that it is “the only option” to be able to thoroughly look into what she described as the “unprecedented assault on Congress.”
The lawmaker also said she’s “honored” to sit in the committee — insisting that peaceful transfer of power should always be “above partisan politics.”
“What happened on January 6th can never happen again,” Cheney said in a statement. “Those who are responsible for the attack need to be held accountable and this select committee will fulfill that responsibility in a professional, expeditious, and non-partisan manner.”
The investigation will be a “non-partisan” one, according to Pelosi as she announced her eight picks so far for the 13-member committee — all Democrats, except Cheney.
The chairperson will be Rep. Bennie Thompson (Mississippi). Other Democratic members are Reps. Zoe Lofgren (California), Pete Aguilar (California), Stephanie Murphy (Florida), Jamie Raskin (Maryland), Elaine Luria (Virginia) and vocal Trump-critic Adam Schiff (California).
Cheney later on joined the Democratic members of the committee and insisted that despite the composition of the committee, the work ahead will be non-partisan.
“It will be thorough,” she said. “It will be professional, it will be serious, and not partisan,” she added. “I think this is something where we all have to come together.”
McCarthy hits Cheney
McCarthy, who is yet to announce whether he’ll assign five GOP appointments to the committee or withhold membership altogether called out Cheney’s decision to join Pelosi’s picks as he clarified that he wasn’t “threatening anybody” with committee removal for joining the committee set up by Pelosi contrary to reports.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy on Rep. Liz Cheney: "It'd be shocking to me to have a Republican to go to a Speaker Pelosi, of all people, to accept a committee assignment." pic.twitter.com/13CiGMPldH
— The Hill (@thehill) July 1, 2021
He pointed out, however, that Cheney “broke tradition” by seeking an assignment in a committee from the speaker when the membership should be decided by the leadership of a lawmaker’s own party.
“For somebody to accept committee assignments from Speaker Pelosi – that’s unprecedented,” McCarthy said, noting that by accepting a committee assignment from the opposing party, a GOP lawmaker should no longer expect a committee assignment from their own party.
“I was shocked that she would accept something from Speaker Pelosi. It would seem to me since I didn’t hear from her maybe she’s closer to her than to us,” the top House Republican added.
As the Democrat-led Congress pushes for the investigation of the January 6 Capitol Hill chaos, some Democrats have also earlier called for violence against conservatives.
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