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Citing new ‘precedent,’ GOP lawmakers say Nancy Pelosi may face subpoena after midterm elections

May 15, 2022 | | Print Article

If Republicans retake the House of Representatives in the midterm elections as many are predicting, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with many of her top-ranking Democratic colleagues in Congress, may very well receive subpoenas, thanks to the precedent they have set with the January 6 committee.

After five House Republicans — including House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) were served by the Dem-controlled Jan. 6 select committee, CNN reports that “several rank-and-file Republicans” have said “a new standard” has been set, and, should there be a GOP majority next Congress, it could be replicated.

If you believe CNN’s angle, this would, of course, be an act of retaliation rather than an effort to understand what exactly transpired at the Capitol that fateful day.

“House Republicans, furious that five of their own have been subpoenaed by the January 6 select committee, are discussing their own plans to retaliate if they win back the majority: issuing subpoenas to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats,” CNN declared.

At the top of the GOP’s list is Pelosi and her communications concerning security, both leading up to and during the events of Jan. 6.

 

When asked if Pelosi should be subpoenaed by House Republicans, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) replied, “I’m gonna tell you the truth: Yes, I do.”

“This is setting the precedent, and we’re just not gonna lie down and let this happen,” Carter said. “There are serious questions about her role on January 6 and exactly what she did and what she didn’t do. And we need to get to the bottom of that.”

Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) appeared to concur with Carter’s assessment.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a subpoena there,” he said Friday.

Precedent, however, is not of concern to Pelosi.

“I’m never afraid of precedent,” she told CNN on Friday. “We’re seeking the truth, and we’re not going to be cowards about it.”

It is no secret that relations between the parties have turned acrimonious since the contested 2020 presidential election and the Capitol riot that followed. According to CNN, the “disdain” between Pelosi and McCarthy is “palpable.”

A GOP majority could see several Democrats stripped of their committee assignments and Pelosi’s role in directing the Capitol Police’s on Jan. 6 shoved under a long-awaited spotlight.

Fact-checkers have been working overtime to debunk the notion that the speaker is directly involved with the Capitol’s security since the riot went down.

In July 2021, CNN reported: “The Speaker of the House is not in charge of Capitol security. That’s the responsibility of the Capitol Police Board, which oversees the US Capitol Police and approves requests for National Guard assistance.”

And in its Friday article, CNN cited a quote from Pelosi’a spokesperson, Drew Hammill, who said: “Numerous independent fact checkers have confirmed that Speaker Pelosi did not plan her own assassination. The former President’s desperate lies aside, the speaker was was no more in charge of the security of the U.S. Capitol that day than Mitch McConnell.”

But as BizPac Review reported on January 18, 2021: “The Sergeant at Arms of the House, under the direction of the speaker, is responsible for security, along with the U.S. Capitol Police.”

So, would issuing a subpoena to Nancy Pelosi simply be tit-for-tat as CNN suggests?

According to Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) — whom Pelosi blocked from the Jan. 6 panel — the answer is a resounding, “No.”

“Speaker Nancy Pelosi is the only person in the United States who has covered anything up related to January 6,” Banks said. “So that’s who they should subpoena. She should be at the top of the list.”

Melissa Fine
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