Pelosi said in a statement she was accepting three of the five Republicans named by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy earlier this week, but she would not allow Jordan and Banks to serve on the committee.
“With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these Members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee,” Pelosi said. “The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision.”
The decision to reject McCarthy’s picks — which Pelosi was allowed to do under the rules that created the committee — is sure to spark furious objection from McCarthy and Republicans, who have charged that Democrats are using the select committee as a political effort to harm former President Donald Trump.
Pelosi said she approved of the appointments of Reps. Rodney Davis of Illinois, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota and Troy Nehls of Texas. Banks, Jordan and Nehls all objected to the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
Jordan has been a loyal ally of Trump and an attack dog in Congress, who was added to the House Intelligence Committee in 2019 ahead of the committee’s public impeachment hearings. Banks is chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee.
This story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.