AP Photo/Scott J. Applewhite
- Pelosi faced a "wall of screaming" from McCarthy over a Jan. 6 committee decision, Politico reports.
- She took the unprecedented step of rejecting two GOP recommendations for the committee.
- GOP leader McCarthy responded by pulling all his GOP picks from the committee altogether.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi faced a "wall of screaming" from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy after nixing two of his selections to serve on the House select committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection, Politico reported on Friday.
The already-frosty relations between Pelosi and McCarthy boiled over into a public battle when Pelosi took the unprecedented step on Wednesday of rejecting two of McCarthy's picks: Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana.
"With respect for the integrity of the investigation, with an insistence on the truth and with concern about statements made and actions taken by these Members, I must reject the recommendations of Representatives Banks and Jordan to the Select Committee," Pelosi said in a Wednesday statement, allowing McCarthy's other GOP recommendations of Reps. Rodney Davis, Kelly Armstrong, and Troy Nehls to stay.
One source described the ensuing phone conversation between Pelosi and McCarthy as a "wall of screaming" from McCarthy's end while another confirmed there were "raised voices," according to Politico.
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Pelosi proposed the select committee after Republicans in the Senate filibustered legislation to create an independent, bipartisan, 9/11-style commission to probe the January 6 insurrection.
The committee, as designed, has 13 members, with eight selected by the Speaker and five made "in consultation" with the minority leader, allowing Pelosi to veto McCarthy's picks.
McCarthy, who said Pelosi's rejection of Jordan and Banks was an "egregious abuse of power that will irreparably damage this institution" responded by pulling all five of the GOP members he had chosen for the committee off of the panel altogether, and announcing that the House GOP plans to conduct its own investigation into the deadly riot.
Pelosi quickly shut down questions about McCarthy in her weekly press conference on Thursday, telling reporters: "I'm not talking about him. Let's not waste each other's time."
The speaker, for her part, is pressing forward with the committee, sans McCarthy's selections. Pelosi convened her eight selections to the committee for a meeting on Thursday. The committee, chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, has six other Democratic members and GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, who Pelosi appointed.
"This is deadly serious. It's about our Constitution, our country. It's about an assault on the Capitol that's being mischaracterized for some reason at the expense, at the expense of finding the truth for the American people," Pelosi said at the press conference, adding: "It is 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."