‘This is deadly serious’: Pelosi addresses decision to reject 2 Republicans for Jan. 6 committee

At a press conference on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed her rejection of two Republicans nominated for the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Pelosi said the issue is “deadly serious” and that she vetoed the two GOP lawmakers because of actions and statements they made that she believed would affect the “integrity” of the investigation.

Video Transcript

NANCY PELOSI: So, as you know, we named our commission and it was-- committee and it's bipartisan again and we have a quorum. Staff is being hired to do the job. We're there to seek the truth. We're not-- we're there to get the truth, not to get Trump. T-R-U-- truth, Trump. That seems to be what the other side is obsessed with. So as the legislation allows, I did not accept two of the five people who were appointed. They had made statements and taken actions that I think would impact the integrity of the commission-- of the committee-- the work of the committee.

This is deadly serious. This is about our Constitution. It's about our country. It's about assault on the Capitol that is being mischaracterized, for some reason, at the expense of finding the truth for the American people. I'm very pleased the response that we have received across the country and from my caucus on this subject. And we will-- I'm very pleased with the leadership of Bennie Thompson, our chairman, the bipartisan nature of our committee with Liz Cheney, the other members on the committee who have experience and patriotism as their calling cards. So we will proceed. And, as I said, they're in the process of-- the committee is in the process of hiring staff to that end. It's my responsibility as Speaker of the House to make sure we get to the truth on this and we will not let their antics stand in the way of that.