House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthyhas reportedly selected congressmen Jim Banks of Indiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rodney Davis of Illinois, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota and Troy Nehls of Texas as the Republican members for the select committee to investigate the January 6 riot at the Capitol, Politico reports.
Of the members, Mr Jordan, Mr Banks and Mr Nehls all voted to object to the election results in January. The riot was started in response to former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen.
Mr Jordan is one of the hardline conservatives who helped start the then-insurgent House Freedom Caucus, the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee and a vocal defender of the former president.
Mr Banks is chairman of the Republican Study Committee, which is the biggest caucus in the House GOP. He said he hopes to “force Democrats and the media” to answer questions they have ignored.
“Among them, why was the Capitol unprepared and vulnerable to attack on January 6,” Mr Banks said in a statement. Similarly, he said if Democrats truly cared about political violence, the investigation would focus on Black Lives Matter protests and the death of Capitol Police officer Billy Evans.
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Mr Armstrong, meanwhile, sat on the House Judiciary Committee during Mr Trump’s first impeachment, while Mr Nehls is a freshman Republican and former sheriff who helped police hold back rioters. Mr Davis is considered a moderate within the caucus.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced her selections earlier this month, naming Democratic Reps Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Adam Schiff of California, Pete Aguilar of California, Stephanie Murphy of Florida, Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Elaine Luria of Virginia, as well as Republican Rep Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who voted to impeach Mr Trump.