Pelosi Picks Democrats & Liz Cheney for January 6th Select Committee

What’s the story?

• A day after the House voted to establish a select committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the Capitol, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) named seven Democrats and one Republican member to serve on the committee.

Who is on the select committee?

• Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS)
• Administration Committee Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
• Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA)
• Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), who serves on the Administration and Appropriations Committees
• Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL), who serves on the Armed Services Committee
• Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who serves on the Oversight and Judiciary Committees
• Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA), who serves on the Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees
• Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who serves on the Armed Services Committee.
• Five positions on the select committee are yet to be filled. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) may select members to serve on the select committee, but Pelosi will ultimately have the final say over whether his choices are approved.

Committee Controversy

• Pelosi's decision to choose Cheney to serve on the select committee sparked controversy among GOP lawmakers. Cheney said she was “honored” to be named to the January 6th select committee which she said will fulfill the responsibility “in a professional, expeditious, and non-partisan manner.”
• Earlier this year, Cheney was ousted as Republican Conference Chair, the third-ranking leadership post in the House GOP, for her continued criticism of former President Doanld Trump’s efforts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election and what she believes was his role in instigating the riot that interrupted the certification of the Electoral College on January 6th.
• Cheney was one of 10 House Republicans to vote for Trump’s impeachment on charges of “inciting an insurrection” and was one of two GOP lawmakers to vote in favor of the select committee, the other being Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL).
• McCarthy criticized Cheney and said, “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 us. I don’t know.”

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: Cheney: U.S. House Office of Photography / Public Domain | Pelosi: U.S. Embassy Ghana via Flickr / Public Domain)