Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has already tasked Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who, according to former President Donald Trump is the "most quoted Republican in the history of our country by Democrats," with filling one of the spots on the select committee to investigate the Capitol riot from January 6. Another Democratic favorite and top critic of Trump, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) may soon follow.
There are still five spots on the committee, since Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) pulled all of his picks after Pelosi vetoed two, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Jim Banks (R-IN).
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the committee's chairman, has made it clear he will move ahead with hearings with or without Leader McCarthy's picks. The first hearing is set for July 27 where Capitol police members will testify, though it has not been decided when the next hearing or what the topic will be.
In their reporting for The Hill on the select committee and the possibility of including Kinzinger, Cristina Marcos and Mike Lillis included statements from Rep. Thompson:
Thompson did not make specific endorsements — "I'm just the mere chairman of the committee,” he quipped — but gave a glowing review of Kinzinger's character.
"He's a fine person, level-headed, and wants to get to the facts," Thompson said.
Speaker Pelosi claimed that other Republicans are interested in joining, though she refused to name names:
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Pelosi, for her part, said a number of Republicans have expressed interest in joining the panel. She also declined to name names, but when asked if she thought Kinzinger would be a good addition, Pelosi said: “Everybody else does.”
That Rep. Kinzinger would serve on the committee would hardly be a shocking choice, considering he and Rep. Cheney were the only two Republicans to vote in favor of this select committee.
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