GOP leaders are targeting Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi over the Jan. 6 riot, saying she has refused to respond to their any of their questions regarding the security at the United Sates Capitol and that her Jan. 6 committee is actually a “cover-up” for Pelosi’s mistakes surrounding the riot.
Four Republicans, led by Republican Conference chair Representative Elise Stefanik, held a press call this week to deliver the party’s message on the riot.
“This partisan sham committee isn’t focused on answering why the Capitol was so unprepared that day and what we can do to make certain this never happens again,” Stefanik said.
“Most importantly, Americans have the right to know what stories the mainstream news refuses to cover: The fact that the only office that is currently off-limits to this highly partisan investigation is Nancy Pelosi’s office,” Stefanik continued. “This is being used as a political weapon, and it is used to cover up the failures of Nancy Pelosi.”
House Administration Committee ranking member Republican Rodney Davis, who was also on the phone call, detailed a letter he wrote to Nancy Pelosi demanding the security officials who report to her — the House Chief Administrative Officer and the House Sergeant-at-Arms — comply with GOP requests for information regarding how the Capitol was protected on Jan. 6.
In his letter, Davis accused Nancy Pelosi of “obstructing GOP access to House records in connection to the security preparedness of the Capitol on Jan. 6th, 2021.”
He also said he had sent letters early this past year to both Pelosi and security officials that he said went unanswered, but he added that the U.S. Capitol Police, was quickly responsive to his first letter.
In his most recent letter, Davis highlighted that the former Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Irving and former USCP Chief Steven Sund had “conflicting” accounts about what happened leading up to and during the Jan. 6 riot, mainly whether Irving had rejected Sund’s request for a National Guard presence on Jan. 6 because he was worried about how it would look and which person in the “chain of command” was telling Irving what to do as the Capitol breach was taking place.
Gingrich reminded the GOP that the midterms were approaching, and a possible GOP majority was on the horizon, “one of the benchmarks” they might set is to “formally instruct all of the various officers and individuals to preserve all evidence” in preparation for a “genuinely nonpartisan attempt to review all of this once you are in charge since the Jan. 6 committee is obviously a totally partisan approach.”
One outlet that was not on the call, D.C. insider Politico, complained that Stefanik had “cherry picked reporters” to participate. “I was not allowed on the call nor was other people,” Olivia Beavers wrote on Twitter.
Rep. @EliseStefanik, head of House GOP messaging, cherry picked reporters allowed on this call re. 1/6 committee/Cap security — despite alerting it through official channel.
I wasn’t allowed on call nor were others. Told conservative reporters/outlets were on it, however. pic.twitter.com/dviCdpJQKM
— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) January 3, 2022
“The House Sergeant at Arms and the Chief Administrative Officer have already notified Ranking Member Davis they are complying with the preservation requests, and they will be fully cooperating with various law enforcement agency investigations and legit Congressional inquiries,” Lofgren stated.
“Today’s letter is yet another failed attempt by the Republican party to deflect and distract,” Lofgren contended, adding that Dems will “continue to examine” the Jan 6 riot and “identify the lessons learned, and suggest laws, procedures, rules, policies, or regulations that are necessary to defend our republic in the future.”
Author: Steven Sinclaire