PELOSI’S JAN. 6 COMMITTEE CURVEBALL — Speaker NANCY PELOSI surprised Washington when her office announced Monday that she was open to appointing a Republican to fill one of her party’s spots on the select committee to investigate Jan. 6. So instead of eight Democrats and five Republicans on the 13-member panel, it would be a 7-6 breakdown.
The move shows Pelosi has learned a thing or two after two-plus years of investigating DONALD TRUMP.
For one, a Pelosi-appointed Republican would make it harder for GOP leaders to attack the panel’s investigation as a partisan witch hunt. If Democrats decide to subpoena House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY, for instance, they’ll be able to portray the move as bipartisan — assuming, as we do, that the GOP appointee would side with Democrats on such moves.
Having a Republican signing off on the final report could also bolster the findings in the eyes of some GOP voters (though we’re under no illusion that many of those voters exist anymore).
Pelosi doesn’t make these sorts of decisions lightly. One of us is writing a book about her party’s effort to check Trump during the final two years of this presidency. We can say confidently that Pelosi prefers control — and predictability — over the process. Including a Republican among her picks injects at least some uncertainty, but the risk also comes with a clear upside.
SO WHO WILL GET THE JOB? Or perhaps the better question is: Who wants the job? Democratic leaders are eyeing the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in the face of immense pressure to toe the line.
Two names were being circulated in Democratic leadership circles Monday:
— Rep. LIZ CHENEY (Wyo.). The former House Republican Conference chair is the most obvious choice, after she lost her leadership post for refusing to keep quiet about Trump. Democrats for that reason view her as trustworthy on this matter. She also has a conservative track record that protects her from charges of being a “RINO.”
Drawbacks: Cheney, with her famous last name and willingness to buck her own party, might outshine whomever Pelosi chooses as chair, perhaps even being seen as the panel’s de facto leader. (Again, Pelosi likes to control things.) It’s also not clear she wants the job.
What she said: Cheney dodged questions about this Monday. “It’s up to the speaker,” she said.
— Rep. JOHN KATKO. The New York Republican was another top choice, particularly after he worked with House Homeland Security Chair BENNIE THOMPSON (D-Miss.) to try to establish a bipartisan commission to study Jan. 6. Ultimately, that proposal failed when McCarthy rallied members against it. But Katko, who also voted to impeach Trump, managed to persuade a few dozen GOP lawmakers to break with McCarthy to support an outside investigation.
Democrats like one more thing about him: He’s a skilled former trial lawyer and assistant U.S. attorney for the Justice Department. In that regard, he’s got a legal track record that others don’t.
Drawbacks: Katko made clear Monday night he didn’t want the job, blasting Pelosi for unveiling a structure with eight Democrats and five Republicans instead of an even-numbered commission split down the middle between the two parties. We’re not surprised by this. He’s actually fairly close with the GOP leadership and has sought to walk a fine line between criticizing Trump and being a loyal member of the House GOP Conference.
WHAT WILL GOP LEADERS DO? There’ve been some suggestions among rank-and-file Republicans that GOP leaders should refuse to appoint any of their own to this panel, ensuring that the select committee’s findings are seen as partisan and untrustworthy. This decision will ultimately rest with McCarthy, though it has risks: With no GOP members, Republicans would have no voice during possible high-profile hearings, or in the room to push back on assertions made in depositions. As our Nicholas Wu and Sarah Farris reported Monday night, some Dems fear McCarthy will tap Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) and turn the entire thing into a shitshow. Olivia Beavers: “House GOP bristles as a Jan. 6 investigation lands in its lap”
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