Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, and House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., right, speak to reporters following a Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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UPDATED 9:08 AM PT – Thursday, June 9, 2022
House GOP leaders are condemning the Democrat-led January 6 Committee’s decision to hold televised hearings.
During a press conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday, GOP House Conference Chair Elise Stefanik said Republicans will be setting the record straight while Democrats obsess over what she called an “illegitimate hearing.” Stefanik blasted the committee for hiring former ABC News President James Goldston to produce the primetime hearing and denounced the panel’s work as a politically-charged smear campaign.
“This further solidifies what we know, what we have known from day one,” said Stefanik. “This committee is not about seeking the truth, it is a smear campaign against President Donald Trump, against Republican members of Congress and against Trump voters across this country. This committee is unconstitutional, it is illegitimate. It was not put together according to the rules of the House. It does not serve any true legislative or oversight purpose and it is not about finding out why Nancy Pelosi left the Capitol so ill prepared that day.”‘
“While Democrats obsess over this illegitimate hearing, House Republicans will be setting the record straight and telling the truth about lame-duck Speaker Pelosi’s sham political witch-hunt.” – @RepStefanik pic.twitter.com/gOmP9fvOiE
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) June 8, 2022
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise called out Pelosi for continuing to politicize January 6 while ignoring the several crisis Americans are facing, including high gas prices, high inflation and the southern border crisis.
“Fentanyl…you wanna talk about deaths among young kids, thousands of young kids have died from fentanyl that’s come across our southern border last year alone,” said Scalise. “Over 100,000 American last year died from the opioids that are coming across our open southern border. We can do something about that today and unfortunately there’s no legislation that Speaker Pelsoi will bring to secure our southern border. There’s no primetime hearing to talk about what needs to be done to keep Americans safe.”
WATCH @SteveScalise on Pelosi’s political witch-hunt:
“The idea that Nancy Pelosi continues to politicize January 6th while ignoring things like high gas prices, inflation that’s out of control, a border crisis.” pic.twitter.com/6eEXyYXDaz
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) June 8, 2022
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) asserted the January 6 panel is aiming to prevent former President Donald Trump from running for the White House.
Additionally, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) pointed out that he and Jordan were blocked from joining the committee by Pelosi.
“Speaker Pelosi blocked us because she is afraid of what a real investigation would uncover,” Banks asserted. “She doesn’t want Americans to find out what really happened on January 6 and leading up to it. And she doesn’t want anyone asking questions about her role in and her responsibilities in securing the United States Capitol.”
This comes as members of the January 6 Committee claim they will be sharing new details about the events leading up to the capitol protests, including unseen videos. The panel’s first televised public hearing is set to begin Thursday.