House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy finalising members for Capitol riot panel, report says
Top Republican in the House initially considered boycotting the panel
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Your support makes all the difference.House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is finalising which members he will select to serve on the select committee to look into the 6 January insurrection on Capitol Hill.
The top Republican in the House initially considered boycotting the panel as a way to paint the Democratic-led investigation into the events as partisan, CNN reported
Multiple sources told CNN that Republicans think having members on the panel will allow them to shape a counter-narrative in an investigation that could target both former President Donald Trump and members of the GOP caucus.
Some Republicans suggested Mr McCarthy is considering selecting more pragmatic members to lend credibility to their narrative, including one member who voted to certify the election results, to inoculate the GOP from criticisms from Democrats.
Conversely, Speaker Nancy Pelosi selected Republican Representative Liz Cheney, who was ousted from Republican leadership after her repeated criticisms of the former president, as one of her members of the panel.
“If you don't (appoint Republicans), the reality is, then there's only one news story,” Representative Kelly Armstrong, a Republican from North Dakota, told CNN. “I've never been a 'take your ball and go home' type of guy.”
McCarthy is less likely to appoint Republican firebrands like Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida or Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia. But he could appoint someone like Elise Stefanik of New York, who replaced Ms Cheney in the Republican leadership and vocally defended Mr Trump during his first impeachment.
Mr McCarthy could also appoint Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, an ally of his and chairman of the Republican Study Committee, or Rep. Mike Johnson, who also defended Mr Trump during the 2019 impeachment.
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