The former president Donald Trump has some definite thoughts regarding what House Minority Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) ought to have done about his House Select Committee looking into the January 6, 2021 riot that took place at the Capitol.
Trump stated there was “not even a question” that McCarthy should have included Republican members on the committee.
“Well I believe that in retrospect, it was sensible to include Republicans to the committee but also, I was not directly involved in the process from a political standpoint, therefore I didn't look at it with a lot of attention. But I do think the committee would've been beneficial for us to have representation,” Trump said in a recent interview with the media.
McCarthy might have “thrown the baby out with the bath water” last year when he pulled every one of his GOP selections to the committee. McCarthy was initially asked to provide Pelosi five possible GOP nominees for the panel. Speaker Pelosi immediately turned down Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) because they were against Biden's Electoral College victory. She was able to accept the other three she and McCarthy chose and requested him to submit two other candidates in place of the names of Jordan and Banks.
However, McCarthy removed all his nominees in protest to Pelosi's decision. He stated that if Speaker Pelosi changes her mind and seats all five GOP candidates in the next few days, it is likely that the Republican Party would not be an integral part of this “sham process” and they will pursue an investigation.
In regards to their demotion of Pelosi, Trump said that it would have been fantastic to include them as part of the group. He added that the time Pelosi “wrongfully” did not allow them to join, McCarthy should have picked other members. He added that there were a lot of people who are good in the GOP.
The committee that is investigating an attack at the Capitol has two Republican members, Reps. Liz Cheney (Wyo.) as well as Adam Kinzinger (Ill.). Both are strong and vocal critics of the former president. Trump has also complained that GOP members who aren't in the panel did not have much to say regarding the proceedings.
The committee has conducted three public hearings to date and is scheduled to conduct its fourth hearing this week. They've focused on evidence from former Trump supporters as well as White House staff who have discussed Trump's allegations of electoral fraud. A lot of them have stated that they told Trump at the time of his 2020 election that his claims were unfounded.
Trump's complaint over McCarthy is coming at a time when the president is planning to run to be Speaker should the Republicans win a majority in the midterm elections in November. Trump hasn't yet announced if he would be a supporter of McCarthy in his bid to hold the Speaker's gavel.
It is reported that the Republicans of the House have been quiet about the hearings on January 6th since they're conducting their own investigation. They will focus on placing the blame on the Capitol's top security personnel.
Former president Trump has released a 12 page statement to respond to the hearings. The president also spent a significant part of his 90-minute address during the weekend focusing on the hearings.
Trump spoke in his address at the Faith and Freedom Coalition Conference.
The main source of his anger remains McCarthy. Trump said it was a “bad decision” not to include Republican members within the panel.
“That was a very, very foolish decision because they try to pretend like they're legit, and only when you get into the inner workings, you say, ‘What kind of a thing is this?' It's just a one-sided witch hunt,” Trump declared in an interview.
McCarthy might have a difficult time determining the speaker's perspective based on his performance at the panel on January 6.
