House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Alex Brandon/AP
  • House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy can choose five Republicans for the January 6 select committee.
  • The GOP plans to use its committee spots to blame Nancy Pelosi for the Capitol riot, CNN reported.
  • Republicans also want to shift the blame away from Trump, the network said.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

The GOP plans to use Republican spots on the January 6 select committee to blame House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the Capitol riot, CNN reported, citing Republican sources familiar with discussions.

The House voted earlier this week to create a committee to investigate the insurrection on the US Capitol. The committee is to be made up of 13 members selected by Pelosi, a Democrat, with five of those choices to be made in consultation with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

According to CNN, once McCarthy picks his five lawmakers, the Republican plan is to have them make the case that Pelosi should have done more to protect the Capitol, and shift blame from former President Donald Trump onto Pelosi.

Read more: Democrats are already plotting political revenge for Republicans blocking the January 6 commission

The panel of lawmakers is to investigate the Capitol riot and speak to Capitol Police officers about what they witnessed on the day, CNN reported.

So far, Pelosi has put forward eight lawmakers to join the panel: seven Democrats and Rep. Liz Cheney - the lone Republican on the committee.

Nancy Pelosi and Kevin McCarthy pictured
A composite image of Pelosi and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Getty Images

It is still unclear who McCarthy will name to join the committee, if anyone, according to CBS News.

On Wednesday, McCarthy refused to say whether he would offer up members to serve on the committee, CNN reported.

"It seems pretty political to me," he told the network.

According to Punchbowl News, McCarthy also told GOP lawmakers in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday that they would be stripped of their committee assignments if they joined the January 6 select committee.

The GOP has generally opposed the creation of the committee; Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, who have been openly critical of Trump, were the only Republicans to vote in favor of its formation.

Senate Republicans previously blocked the formation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack.

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