Pelosi dismisses GOP ‘antics’ on Capitol riot committee as Democrats float adding Kinzinger

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is vowing to push ahead with an investigation into the attack on the US Capitol, with or without participation from the Republican Party.

At a press conference on Thursday, the speaker explained her rationale for rejecting Reps Jim Jordan and Jim Banks from the House select committee created to investigate the hours-long siege that left several dead, including one Capitol Police officer.

She also hammered House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and the “antics” of his caucus, many of whom spread the same lies about the 2020 election that led to the efforts of thousands to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s victory in January.

“It is my responsibility as speaker of the House to get to the truth”, said Ms Pelosi, adding: “We will not let their antics stand in the way of that”.

The rejection of Mr Banks and Mr Jordan from the committee on Wednesday was followed on Thursday with news from Rep Bennie Thompson, a top Pelosi ally, that Rep Adam Kinzinger, a Republican who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for inciting the riot, was under consideration to be named to the select committee alongside Rep Liz Cheney, another anti-Trump GOPer.

The Independent has reached out to the speaker’s office to determine whether Mr Kinzinger will joining Ms Cheney on the panel. The Democrats’ pursuit of a House select panel to investigate the attack comes after Republicans in the House and Senate united to block legislation that would have established a nonpartisan commission to investigate the attack.

Ms Cheney was the lone Republican to say she would participate in the process on Wednesday after Mr McCarthy withdrew the participation of others over Ms Pelosi’s rejections.

"The idea that anybody would be playing politics with an attack on the United States Capitol is despicable and disgraceful”, Ms Cheney told reporters on the Capitol steps on Wednesday.

“At every opportunity, the minority leader has attempted to prevent the American people from understanding what happened, to block this investigation”, she added.

Mr McCarthy, meanwhile, unloaded on the speaker across social media, and in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham spread another false conspiracy about the 6 January attack, this time suggesting that Ms Pelosi had ordered the National Guard away from the US Capitol on the day of the attack – despite her having no authority whatsoever to make such an order.

Mr McCarthy himself is reported to have asked Mr Trump to call off the mob of his supporters battling law enforcement during the events of the 6 January riot, with Rep Herrera Beutler, a Republican, explaining that the president had declined to take greater action to stop the riot and told the minority leader during a phone call, “Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election then you are”.