The enactment of Representative Adam Kinzinger for the peculiar committee adds a 2nd Republican who has been an unsparing professional of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump.
![Representative Adam Kinzinger during a proceeding successful March. He was 1 of 10 House Republicans to ballot to impeach erstwhile President Donald J. Trump.](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/07/25/lens/25dc-riot-photo/merlin_191476272_007708b2-37c4-4a0f-a399-b9dafcbfbd5f-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)
July 25, 2021, 2:37 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi connected Sunday appointed Representative Adam Kinzinger to the peculiar committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot astatine the Capitol, adding a 2nd Republican who is simply a forceful professional of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump to the panel.
The move, which bolsters the committee’s bipartisan credentials, came aft Ms. Pelosi rejected 2 Republicans who are among Mr. Trump’s most vociferous defenders successful Congress from joining, saying their behaviour suggested they could not beryllium trusted to participate.
Mr. Kinzinger, a six-term congressman from Illinois who has drawn censure from his ain party for disavowing Mr. Trump and the conspiracy theories the erstwhile president perpetuated, said successful a connection that helium had accepted the post.
“While this is not the presumption I expected to beryllium successful oregon sought out, erstwhile work calls, I volition ever answer,” said Mr. Kinzinger, 1 of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Mr. Trump. “This infinitesimal requires a serious, cleareyed, nonpartisan approach. We are work bound to behaviour a afloat probe connected the worst onslaught connected the Capitol since 1814 and to marque definite it tin ne'er hap again.”
Ms. Pelosi, who has last accidental implicit the committee’s membership, has already fixed 1 of the 8 seats usually reserved for the bulk enactment to Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming. Ms. Cheney was ousted from House enactment successful May for criticizing Mr. Trump and his actions earlier and during the riot.
About 140 constabulary officers were injured connected Jan. 6 arsenic Trump loyalists stormed the Capitol, wherever Congress was gathering to formalize President Biden’s election, chanting “Hang Mike Pence,” stalking the halls for Ms. Pelosi and forcing lawmakers to evacuate their chambers.
Ms. Pelosi began earnestly considering unilaterally appointing Mr. Kinzinger past week aft she blocked Representatives Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio. Both had amplified Mr. Trump’s mendacious claims of predetermination fraud, joined their party’s efforts to situation Mr. Biden’s triumph connected Jan. 6 and made statements that undermined the prime committee’s enactment and mission.
Ms. Pelosi, however, said she welcomed the 3 different Republicans whom Representative Kevin McCarthy of California had nominated to articulation the panel.
“We person to disregard the antics of those who bash not privation to find the truth,” she said Sunday connected ABC’s “This Week,” reiterating her rationale for barring Mr. Banks and Mr. Jordan.
Her determination to cull the brace drew an aggravated effect from Mr. McCarthy, the number leader, who announced that each his picks would boycott the panel. He has described Ms. Pelosi’s involution arsenic confirmation that the probe was thing much than a governmental workout to wounded the G.O.P.
“Speaker Pelosi’s rejection of the Republican nominees to service connected the committee and self-appointment of members who stock her preconceived communicative volition not output a superior investigation,” helium said successful a connection connected Sunday.
On Fox News connected Sunday, Mr. Banks, who arranged a caller travel to articulation Mr. Trump astatine the southwestern border, blamed Ms. Pelosi for the information breakdowns astatine the Capitol during the breach by the pro-Trump mob. He claimed, without evidence, that helium was rejected from the committee arsenic portion of a cover-up.
“Why was determination a systemic breakdown of information connected Jan. 6?” Mr. Banks asked. “At the extremity of the day, she is yet liable for the breakdown of information astatine the Capitol that happened connected Jan. 6.”
Congressional leaders prosecute the instrumentality enforcement unit liable for Capitol security, but are typically not progressive successful day-to-day decisions astir information protocols.
Security astatine the Capitol is controlled by the Capitol Police Board, which includes the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms and the designer of the Capitol. At the clip of the attack, the House sergeant-at-arms, Paul D. Irving, had been connected the occupation since 2012, erstwhile helium was hired nether Speaker John A. Boehner, Republican of Ohio. The Senate sergeant-at-arms astatine the time, Michael Stenger, was hired successful 2018 erstwhile Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, led the chamber.
Both Mr. Irving and Mr. Stenger, on with the main of the Capitol Police astatine the time, Steven A. Sund, resigned nether unit aft the riot.
Asked astir Mr. Kinzinger’s imaginable enactment connected Sunday, Mr. Banks pointed to his colleague’s unsparing disapproval of Mr. Trump: “It’s wide that Pelosi lone wants members connected this committee who volition instrumentality to her talking points and instrumentality to her narrative.”
Mr. Kinzinger has urged his chap Republicans to cull Mr. Trump’s prevarication of a stolen predetermination and his marque of grievance-based politics, betting his governmental vocation that his party’s aboriginal lies successful repudiating the erstwhile president.
“For months, lies and conspiracy theories person been spread, threatening our self-governance,” Mr. Kinzinger said connected Sunday.
In her connection appointing Mr. Kinzinger to the panel, Ms. Pelosi emphasized his subject work arsenic an Air Force seasoned and lieutenant colonel successful the Air National Guard.
“He brings large patriotism to the committee’s mission: to find the facts and support our democracy,” she said.
There volition present beryllium 9 members of the committee seated erstwhile the sheet has its archetypal proceeding connected Tuesday. The probe is acceptable to statesman with the grounds of constabulary officers who helped combat disconnected the mob attack.
Among them are Officer Harry Dunn; Aquilino Gonell, a sergeant; Michael Fanone, who has lobbied Republicans to enactment an investigation; and Daniel Hodges, who was crushed successful a doorway during the rampage.