Kinzinger, a vocal Republican critic of Trump who was one of 10 House Republicans to vote for his second impeachment, would join Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming as the only Republicans on the new select committee.
The Illinois Republican has been telling people in recent days he’d accept the appointment if offered, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The presumed appointment comes days after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy pulled his five GOP members from the panel, after Pelosi rejected two of McCarthy’s five choices — Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio — for their roles in pushing to overturn the presidential election results. The other three selected by McCarthy were Rodney Davis of Illinois, Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota and freshman Troy Nehls of Texas.
Kinzinger’s possible addition to the committee could bring additional legitimacy to one of the most consequential investigations ever conducted by Congress and make it harder for Republicans to argue that it’s a partisan endeavor.
“I do believe that the work of this committee, in order to retain the confidence of the American people, must act in a way that has no partisanship, is all about patriotism, and I’m very proud of the members of the committee and I’m very certain they will accomplish that goal. We have to again ignore the antics of those who do not want to find the truth,” Pelosi said, referencing Banks and Jordan.
If Kinzinger joins the committee, the Illinois Republican is sure to face blowback from his own party — something Cheney has experienced in spades.
When asked when she plans to make the appointment official, Pelosi responded “perhaps after I speak to Adam Kinzinger.”
She added: “You could say that’s the direction I would be going on, he and other Republicans have expressed an interest to serve on the select committee and I wanted to point to three, three of the members that Leader McCarthy suggested, but he withdrew their names, the two that I would not appoint, people who would jeopardize the integrity of the investigation. There’s no way I would tolerate their antics as we seek the truth.”
The select committee is scheduled to hold its first hearing next week, which will feature testimony from police officers who defended the Capitol on January 6. Logistical details of the hearing are still coming together, but investigators want to play videos of the deadly attack and body-worn camera footage from some of the police officers, according to a source familiar with the planning, in an effort to paint a vivid, first-hand account of the assault that day.
Republican removed from committee says Kinzinger would ‘stick to (Pelosi’s) narrative’
Banks criticized the potential addition of Kinzinger on Sunday, saying Pelosi only wants people “who will stick to her talking points.”
“It’s clear that Pelosi only wants members on this committee who will stick to her talking points and stick to her narrative,” Banks said in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
“That’s why she’s picked the group that she’s already picked, and anyone that she asked to be on this committee from this point moving forward will be stuck to her narrative.”
Banks revealed he found out about his removal from the committee by reading Twitter and said he believes Pelosi vetoed his and Jordan’s appointments to the committee because they planned to ask questions about the speaker’s role in failing to secure the Capitol on January 6.
“The speaker of the House has more control and authority and responsibility over the leadership of the Capitol Police than anyone else in the United States Capitol, so she doesn’t want us to ask these questions because at the end of the day, she is ultimately responsible for the breakdown of security at the Capitol that happened on January 6,” Banks said.
CNN has previously debunked the claim that Pelosi is responsible for security at the Capitol. US Capitol Police reports to the Capitol Police Board, made up of the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms, the Architect of the Capitol, and the Chief of Capitol Police.
This story has been updated with comment from Banks.
CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.
