Republican representative Adam Kinzinger has defended the House of Representatives’ select committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021 and dismissed criticism from two prominent conservatives.
Byron York, chief political correspondent for The Washington Examiner, and Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume both criticized the select committee on Twitter on Friday.
“There’s a long tradition of adversarial process in congressional hearings/investigations. You don’t have to compare it to a trial to know something is wrong with the J6 committee,” York wrote.
Hume retweeted York and added: “I’ve covered Washington for more than 50 years, including 11 years covering Congress specifically. I’ve never seen a committee all of whose members were chosen by one party, and where there is no cross-examination or any attempt to present both sides.”
Kinzinger, who serves on the committee, took issue with that criticism in his response to Hume and also took aim at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
“Hey Brit. It’s been all republicans testifying. Definitely one sided, just not in how you think it is,” Kinzinger wrote.
“And as you well know, Kevin McCarthy took his ball and went home. You all sound nervous,” he said.
Kinzinger was referring to the fact that McCarthy had been empowered to appoint five members to the committee after it had been approved by the House, while Speaker Nancy Pelosi would appoint eight.
However, Pelosi rejected two of McCarthy’s appointees—representatives Jim Jordan and Jim Banks—and McCarthy then withdrew all his choices for the committee.
Pelosi named Kinzinger and fellow Republican representative Liz Cheney to serve on the committee. Cheney is vice chair and has played a major role in the public hearings so far.
Democratic representative Eric Swalwell made a similar point in response to Hume’s tweet on Friday, writing: “I agree, Brit. Kevin McCarthy shouldn’t have pulled his members off this critical committee. Trump agrees with this, too. What say you, @GOPLeader?”
The committee’s most recent live hearings centered on testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who gave what many viewed as damning testimony about former President Donald Trump.
Hutchinson, a top aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, told the committee that Trump had been aware that some of his supporters were armed on January 6 but didn’t care because “they’re not here to hurt me.”
She also said that she had been told how an angry Trump had tried to grab the steering wheel of the presidential limousine when he was told he couldn’t go to the Capitol. However, members of the Secret Service are reportedly willing to refute this claim.
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