Pelosi Taps Clyburn to Lead House Select Committee, After He Admitted Dems Can Use Relief Package to Further Agenda

Speaker Pelosi announced on Thursday that she is creating a bipartisan House Select Committee to provide oversight on coronavirus. The select committee is set to focus on transparency and accountability, and has the ability to issue subpoenas. 

NEWS from @SpeakerPelosi: she announces the formation of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis - Clyburn is in charge.

— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) April 2, 2020

.@SpeakerPelosi is creating a House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis. It'll be bipartisan, tasked with oversight of the new $2 trillion law, and led by @WhipClyburn (via @AlexNBCNews).

— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) April 2, 2020

?? NEWS … PELOSI is creating a HOUSE select committee on the coronavirus

Will be chaired by JIM CLYBURN.

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) April 2, 2020

Chairing the committee is House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC), who recently affirmed Democrats’ intent to use the COVID-19 pandemic to further their ideological agenda:

"This is a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision," Rep. Clyburn said.

GOP Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) questioned Speaker Pelosi’s move, which undermines the House Oversight Committee:

@GOPLeader McCarthy says he has concerns with Pelosi’s new select oversight panel on coronavirus.

He thinks it could be redundant because they already included oversight mechanisms in the rescue bill.

“Does the speaker not trust the Oversight Committee?”

— Melanie Zanona (@MZanona) April 2, 2020

Although the select committee is set to be bipartisan, Speaker Pelosi appointing Rep. Clyburn only accentuates the GOP narrative that Democrats on Capitol Hill are using COVID-19 for political gain.