McCarthy not yet sold on naming Republicans to Jan. 6 investigation

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said on Tuesday he has not decided on whom to name to the select committee that will investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection, or even whether he would appoint any fellow Republicans.

“I haven’t made a decision yet, even to appoint,” McCarthy said in an interview on Fox News. “I’m discussing it with my members. I have a real concern, the scope of what we’re looking at.”

Noting that a bipartisan Senate report on the events of Jan. 6 raised more questions for him, and accusing the House speaker of politicizing the process, McCarthy said: “Now we have Nancy Pelosi pretty much playing politics with this. Putting Adam Schiff and Raskin on it looks more like an impeachment committee than one that wants to get to the bottom of the questions that are still out there.”

Schiff (D-Calif.) led the prosecution during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) was the lead House manager in Trump’s second impeachment trial.

Legislation to create a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol was approved by the House, 220-190, in June.

Before its creation, an independent bipartisan commission was moving forward in May but was thwarted by Senate Republicans, who led the year’s first filibuster. Six GOP senators did vote to advance the proposed commission, which would have had five Democrats and five Republicans.

For the select committee, Pelosi maintains veto power over any McCarthy appointments. Early this month, she named her appointments to the committee, including Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). Cheney, a strong critic of Trump who has refused to downplay the events of Jan. 6, was one of two Republicans who voted to establish the committee.