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Today, the U.S. House has convened a select committee to look into the events of January 6th when MAGA supporters of Donald Trump overran the U.S. Capitol in an violent attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s win to become the 46th President of The United States.
The following compilation of the lies and distortions coming from Republican lawmakers, regarding the House investigation into January 6th, is from the Office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
From the Speaker’s Press Office:
Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans have desperately tried to undermine and prevent a real investigation into the events of January 6th from the start. Now that the bipartisan Select Committee is beginning its work, the only tools left in House Republican’s arsenal are deflection, distortion, and disinformation.
Unfortunately for McCarthy and his conspirators, their pathetic attempt to distract from the Select Committee’s upcoming hearing featuring the testimony from law enforcement officers who protected them and our democracy on January 6th has fallen flat once again. Every single lie uttered by the Republicans this morning has been debunked time and again.
Don’t take our word for it, there are fact checks in abundance to show just how baseless this latest stunt is:
GOP LIE: Pelosi stopped the National Guard from deploying.
THE TRUTH:
AP: “False. As Speaker of the House, Pelosi does not direct the National Guard. Further, as the Capitol came under attack, she and the Senate Majority leader called for military assistance, including the National Guard.” […] “Republicans have falsely laid the blame on Pelosi without mentioning that GOP Leader McConnell had similar authority over the security officials that day. But there is no evidence that either was involved in any effort to block the National Guard before or during the insurrection.”
CNN: “[A]ccording to testimony from the former Capitol Police chief, Pelosi was not involved in the decisions made ahead of January 6 regarding the National Guard. In his testimony before the Senate in February, former US Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund said that he approached both Sergeants at Arms on the House and Senate side on January 4 to request the National Guard through an Emergency Declaration from the Capitol Police Board.”
Washington Post: “[P]ublic testimony shows [Pelosi] did not even hear about the request until two days later. Jordan also tried to pin the blame on the House sergeant-at-arms, but testimony shows the Senate sergeant-at-arms also was not keen about the idea.”
AFP: “In a February 1 letter to Pelosi and in Senate testimony, Sund confirmed the unsuccessful requests for the troops that he made on January 4. He said he “urgently” sought Guard backup several times from 1:09 pm on January 6, including through the two sergeants at arms and during a call with military officials. […] In that letter and in testimony by Sund, Irving and Stenger to Senate committees on February 23, there is no suggestion that Pelosi vetoed a request for Guard troops.”
GOP LIE: Pelosi ignored warnings ahead of 1/6 and failed to prepare Capitol Police.
THE TRUTH:
AP: “False. Pelosi does not oversee day-to-day operations of the Capitol Police.” […] “While the Capitol Police budget is approved by both chambers of Congress, Pelosi does not control day-to-day operations or officer assignments.”
CNN: “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.”
USA Today: “We rate the claim that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi caused the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol as FALSE, based on our research. The Capitol Police force is responsible for protecting the building and is overseen by a Capitol Police Board, and committees from the House of Representatives and Senate, according to a USCP spokesperson. Pelosi is not directly responsible for overseeing Capitol Police force operations.”
GOP LIE: Pelosi politicized the Select Committee by blocking Republicans from the panel.
THE TRUTH:
Reuters: “Pelosi created the 13-member panel after congressional Republicans rejected a bipartisan panel to probe the violence, which saw hundreds of Trump supporters storm the building, assaulting police, smashing windows and sending lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence scrambling for safety.” […] “Pelosi had previously appointed one Republican, Liz Cheney, to the panel. Pelosi had said she would accept McCarthy’s other three nominees — Representatives Rodney Davis, Kelly Armstrong and Troy Nehls — and had asked him to pick two new members.”
Roll Call: “In May, McCarthy opposed a deal that was struck between Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and ranking member John Katko, R-N.Y., to establish a commission to investigate Jan. 6.” […] “The Thompson/Katko deal would have issued a final report by Dec. 31, 2021, with findings on the facts and causes of the attack and recommendations to prevent future attacks. It was structured to have subpoena power that would require agreement between the chair and vice chair or a majority vote of the 10-member commission. Commissioners would have been appointed by congressional leaders and would be equally split: five Republicans and five Democrats.”
New York Times: “Top House Republicans urged their colleagues on Tuesday to oppose bipartisan legislation creating an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, positioning their conference against a full accounting of the deadly riot by a pro-Trump mob.”
