Pelosi Weighs Adding Kinzinger to Jan. 6 Inquiry

Politics|Pelosi weighs adding Kinzinger, a 2nd anti-Trump Republican, to the Jan. 6 inquiry.

• July 22, 2021, 12:55 p.m. ET

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is considering unilaterally appointing a 2nd anti-Trump Republican, Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, to the House prime committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, according to 2 officials acquainted with the ongoing discussions.

Mr. Kinzinger, who broke with his enactment to enactment investigating the Jan. 6 assault, has made wide for weeks that helium would beryllium consenting to serve. But Democrats began much earnestly weighing the anticipation of naming him aft the House Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy of California, said connected Wednesday that Republicans would boycott the investigation due to the fact that Ms. Pelosi rejected 2 of the 5 members helium had recommended.

“We’ll see,” Ms. Pelosi said connected Thursday, erstwhile asked astir the anticipation of going astir Mr. McCarthy to straight name further Republican members. “There are immoderate members that would similar to beryllium connected it.”

Separately, Ms. Pelosi was earnestly considering naming Denver Riggleman, a erstwhile Republican congressman from Virginia, arsenic a elder advisor to the committee, according to the officials, who requested anonymity to talk frankly astir the deliberations. Mr. Riggleman is simply a erstwhile a erstwhile Air Force quality officer, who emerged from a G.O.P. superior lass past twelvemonth determined to effort to combat disinformation, similar QAnon, from overtaking his party.

Because the probe is being handled by a prime committee, Ms. Pelosi has the last accidental implicit its membership, successful consultation with the Republican leader. She has already fixed 1 of the 8 seats usually reserved for the bulk enactment to Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a erstwhile subordinate of Republican enactment who was ousted for criticizing Donald J. Trump and her enactment for trying to undermine the 2020 predetermination results. The summation of Mr. Kinzinger would marque the sheet much bipartisan and amended guarantee astatine slightest immoderate Republicans enactment its work.

Like Ms. Cheney, Mr. Kinzinger has been unsparing successful his criticisms of Mr. Trump and his ain party aft a mob of pro-Trump supporters, egged connected by the president, stormed the Capitol and tried to halt Congress from finalizing President Biden’s victory. He has argued that unless Republicans earnestly reckon with the erstwhile president’s way of lies astir a stolen predetermination and the unsafe forces it unleashed successful the country, they hazard undermining American democracy.

Representative Bennie Thompson, the Mississippi Democrat who volition pb the committee, confirmed to CNN connected Thursday that Mr. Kinzinger was being considered. He said the 43-year-old Illinois Republican and Air Force seasoned would beryllium a “welcome addition.” (A erstwhile mentation of this point misspelled Mr. Thompson’s surname.)

Mr. Kinzinger’s spokeswoman did not comment.

Democrats person discussed the anticipation of adding different Republicans whom they spot to instrumentality the committee’s enactment seriously. But respective conceded that Mr. Kinzinger whitethorn beryllium the lone 1 different than Ms. Cheney consenting to subordinate Mr. McCarthy, who suggested successful caller weeks that immoderate Republican subordinate who accepted an assignment from Ms. Pelosi would suffer their seats connected different committees.

The latest spat implicit its members began this week erstwhile Mr. McCarthy recommended the assignment of 5 Republicans, including 2 staunch allies of Mr. Trump who supported the bid to overturn the predetermination results successful Congress connected Jan. 6 and equated the riot to radical justness protests.

Normally, the talker would simply rubber stamp the choices of a number person for specified a committee. But Ms. Pelosi said she could not let the 2 Trump loyalists, Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio and Jim Banks of Indiana, to serve. Mr. McCarthy responded by saying Republicans would not participate.

On Thursday, Ms. Pelosi made wide she would not reverse course, citing statements by the 2 Republicans dismissing the probe arsenic “impeachment circular three” and suggesting it was Democrats who ought to beryllium scrutinized for not decently defending the Capitol.

“Nobody is saying it should each beryllium connected the aforesaid constituent of presumption going connected the committee,” Ms. Pelosi said. “But erstwhile statements are ridiculous and autumn into the realm of ‘You indispensable beryllium kidding,’ determination is nary mode that they are going to beryllium connected the committee.”

Democrats besides began locking successful the committee’s nonrecreational unit connected Thursday, turning to seasoned authorities investigators. They announced that David B. Buckley, a erstwhile inspector wide for the C.I.A., would pb the staff. Kristin Amerling, a longtime legislature researcher who scrutinized the Iraq War and the national effect to Hurricane Katrina, volition beryllium his deputy; Tim Mulvey, a erstwhile House and State Department aide, volition beryllium the committee’s main spokesman.

Emily Cochrane contributed reporting.