Home Republican leaders on Tuesday introduced their picks for highly effective committee chairs within the new Congress, and most of them have an inherent character flaw: They voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election outcomes after fueling the lie that the election was stolen from Donald Trump.
“Our committee chairs signify the easiest of our convention,” Home Majority Chief Scalise (R-La.) stated when saying the GOP’s decisions for chairmanships.
Of the 17 members tapped for chair posts, 11 voted to reject the outcomes of the 2020 presidential election. They defended their choice to do that by telling the identical lie about widespread voter fraud that simply hours earlier had fueled the lethal revolt on the Capitol and despatched these lawmakers into hiding for his or her lives.
These 11 Republicans are Reps. Glenn Thompson (Pa.) for the agriculture committee, Mike Rogers (Ala.) for armed companies, Jodey Arrington (Texas) for finances, Virginia Foxx (N.C.) for schooling and workforce, Mark Inexperienced (Tenn.) for homeland safety, Jim Jordan (Ohio) for the judiciary, Roger Williams (Texas) for small enterprise, Sam Graves (Mo.) for transportation and infrastructure, Mike Bost (Ailing.) for veterans, Jason Smith (Mo.) for methods and means, and Frank Lucas (Okla.) for science, area and expertise.
Jordan’s function atop the judiciary committee is especially egregious provided that, after initially dodging questions, he lastly admitted that he spoke to Trump a number of instances as insurrectionists rampaged by the Capitol. He has refused to say what they talked about and rejected a request for an interview by the Home panel investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault.
The Ohio Republican additionally helped peddle the bogus authorized argument that former Vice President Mike Pence had the authority to intervene within the election certification course of, forwarding a textual content on the idea to then-White Home chief of employees Mark Meadows the day earlier than the assault.
As unsettling as it could be that these are the folks answerable for crafting federal insurance policies and laws for the following two years, the folks atop their occasion are simply as flawed: Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), GOP Convention Chair Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) and Scalise all voted to reject the 2020 presidential outcomes, too.
The opposite 6 Republicans who obtained chairmanships on Tuesday ― and who opted to not attempt to thwart democracy proper after an revolt ― are Reps. Kay Granger (Texas) for appropriations, Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) for vitality and commerce, Patrick McHenry (N.C.) for monetary companies, Michael McCaul (Texas) for international affairs, Bruce Westerman (Ark.) for pure assets and James Comer (Ky.) for oversight and accountability.