Exclusive — Rep. Jim Banks: Nancy Pelosi Covering Up ‘Systemic Breakdown of Security’ on January 6

House Republican Study Committee (RSC) Chairman Jim Banks (R-IN) told Breitbart News Saturday that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is covering up the “systemic breakdown of security under her watch during the January 6 protests and riots.

Banks spoke to Breitbart News after Democrats and two anti-Trump Republicans, Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), held the first public hearing for the January 6 select committee during primetime on Thursday evening.

Breitbart News Saturday host Matthew Boyle described the hearing as a three-ring circus and noted the January 6 committee prevented Banks and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) from sitting on the committee to prevent a rebuttal of their accusations. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) tapped Banks and Jordan to serve on the committee; however, Pelosi blocked McCarthy from nominating the two.

However, it appears that the American people did not want to listen to the January 6 committee, as the hearing only garnered 19 million viewers across five networks on Thursday night; for comparison, the State of the Union had 38 million viewers.

Banks described the hearing as a “complete dud” that was designed to “divert attention away from gas prices on average over $5 per gallon,” inflation, and the other crises facing the Joe Biden administration.

“They did everything they could to change the subject, Matt,” Banks remarked.

Despite the Democrats’ apparent primetime failure, the Hoosier conservative noted that it was more important that Democrats ommitted Pelosi’s failure to secure the Capitol during the January 6 protests and riots. As Boyle and Banks explained, the Speaker of the House has the primary responsibility for the security of the Capitol building.

“It’s more important to focus on what they didn’t talk about, what they didn’t focus on, and what they did talk about was the systemic breakdown of security at the Capitol on Nancy Pelosi’s watch and the cover-up of documents and questions on that she doesn’t want to be asked,” Banks said. “That is why they kicked me off the committee because we were going to ask questions about her involvement in calling off the National Guard and questions about that and documents she refuses to give up – documents to the bipartisan Senate Homeland Security Committee about the calling off the National Guard on January 6.”

Banks said that the “bread crumbs” relating to the lack of security at the Capitol “lead back to her office.” Instead, he said Pelosi continues to lead a witch hunt against former President Donald Trump, those who worked for the Trump administration, and Trump supporters.

Breitbart News Saturday airs on SiriusXM Patriot 125 from 10:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. Eastern.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.