House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, speaks with Representative Liz Cheney (R), Republican of Wyoming, during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, October 22, 2019.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, speaks with Representative Liz Cheney (R), Republican of Wyoming, during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, October 22, 2019.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
  • House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called Reps. Cheney and Kinzinger "Pelosi Republicans" Monday.
  • Ask about McCarthy's remarks, Cheney said "I think that's pretty childish."
  • Pelosi has appointed Kinzinger and Cheney to a committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riot.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

Rep. Liz Cheney called Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy "childish" after he referred to her and Rep. Adam Kinzinger as "Pelosi Republicans" at a White House event Monday morning, escalating an ongoing war of words between the two lawmakers.

The latest spat began on Monday morning, when McCarthy attended an event at the White House Rose Garden commemorating the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, where he was asked about the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riot.

"Some Republicans have been saying that the GOP should play ball on this committee," said a reporter.

"Really? Who was that, Adam and Liz? Aren't they kinda like Pelosi Republicans?" McCarthy replied, referring to Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), who was appointed to the commission by Pelosi on Saturday.

Later, as she was entering a preparatory session for the commission, Cheney was asked about McCarthy's remarks.

"It's very serious business, we have important work to do, and I think that's pretty childish," she responded.

Cheney was named to the commission-- formally the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol-- by Pelosi on July 1. The partisan commission was created after a vote to create a bipartisan commission failed in the Senate last month.

Last week, McCarthy appointed five Republicans to join the select committee, including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Jim Banks (R-IN). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected both Jordan and Banks, noting their "statements and actions" following the attack. In response, McCarthy pulled all five of his appointees, announcing that Republicans would run their own investigation.

Cheney then said McCarthy's rhetoric was "disingenuous" and suggested that he should not become house speaker if the GOP returned to power in 2022.

Over the weekend, Pelosi appointed Rep. Adam Kinzinger, another vocally anti-Trump Republican, to join the commission.

"When duty calls, I will always answer," wrote Kinzinger on Twitter after accepting Pelosi's appointment.

But recriminations may be coming; Republican House members reportedly want to see Cheney and Kinzinger punished for agreeing to serve on the commission.

On Monday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer rejected McCarthy's characterization of Kinzinger and Cheney, noting their conservative voting records. "If anybody looks at the voting records of Mr. Kinzinger and Ms. Cheney, they will know that they haven't voted with Speaker Pelosi except on the most bipartisan of bills," he told POLITICO.

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