Nancy Pelosi Claims Banks and Jordan Were Not Denied Committee Seats over Certification Objections

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) claimed Thursday that Reps. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) rejection to the January 6 investigatory committee were not due to their objections to certifying the 2020 election.

“As the legislation allows, I did not accept two of the five people who were appointed,” Pelosi stated at her Thursday press conference. “As they have made statements and taken actions that I think would impact the integrity of the committee, the work of the committee. This is deadly serious. This is about our Constitution.”

“Of the three [McCarthy picks] that I appointed, one of them voted against the ratification and the other two voted for it,” she continued. “Having said that, though, the other two [Jordan and Banks] made statements and took actions that just made it ridiculous to put them on such a committee seeking the truth.”

Pelosi’s alteration of the narrative from Wednesday, when she rejected Jordan and Banks, comes after Democrats also objected to certifying former President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 election.

“Democrats objected 11 times, citing a variety of issues, including ‘Russian interference,’ ‘massive voter suppression’ and the ‘violation of the Voting Rights Act,’” NBC News reported.

Then “Vice President Joe Biden, who sat in the chair and presided over the 41 minute-long process in the House chamber, attempted to speed through the objections,” the report continued. “After the third objection and the third time Biden asked if a senator had signed on, Biden said, ‘it is over.’”

Pelosi’s original statement Wednesday on the rejection of Banks and Jordan said that “With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these Members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee.”

She continued to explain:

Monday evening, the Minority Leader recommended five members to serve on the Select Committee. I have spoken with him this morning about the objections raised about Representatives Jim Banks and Jim Jordan and the impact their appointments may have on the integrity of the investigation. I also informed him that I was prepared to appoint Representatives Rodney Davis, Kelly Armstrong, and Troy Nehls, and requested that he recommend two other Members.