Rep. Jim Banks: Nancy Pelosi ‘Ultimately Responsible’ for the Security Breakdown on January 6

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) speaks at a news conference on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to reject two of Leader McCarthy’s selected members from serving on the committee investigating the Jan. 6 breach, in Washington, D.C., on July 21, 2021. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said on Sunday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is “ultimately responsible” for the breakdown of security at the Capitol on Jan. 6.

“Due to the rules of the United States Capitol—the power structure of the Capitol—Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, has more control and authority and responsibility over the leadership of the Capitol Police than anyone else in the United States Capitol,” Banks told Fox News on Sunday.

On July 21, Pelosi rejected Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Banks from a House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol breach after they were appointed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). Republican House members said Pelosi’s move was nakedly partisan, and McCarthy pulled the other Republican picks from the committee.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gestures during her weekly news conference at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., on July 22, 2021. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

“It’s more clear than ever that Nancy Pelosi is not interested in an investigation. She’s only interested in a narrative,” Banks said, responding to Pelosi’s rejection of Jordan and himself from the committee.

“Why [was] the Capitol vulnerable to an attack on Jan. 6? Why was there a systemic breakdown of security at the Capitol on Jan. 6?” Banks asked.

According to the Capitol Police union head, the Capitol Police had intelligence reports weeks before Jan. 6 that something potentially very dangerous could happen that day, Banks said.

Banks pointed out that the Capitol Police weren’t prepared for it and weren’t equipped for it even with the intelligence.

“So [Pelosi] doesn’t want us to ask these questions because, at the end of the day, she is ultimately responsible for the breakdown of security at the Capitol that happened on January 6,” Banks said.

Pelosi selected Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) to join the Jan. 6 committee, and Kinzinger accepted it on Sunday. Previously, Pelosi selected Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) to the panel. Both Kinzinger and Cheney voted to impeach Trump for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

“It’s clear that Pelosi only wants members on this committee who will stick to her talking points and stick to her narrative,” Banks said.

“Something like this has never happened before in the history of our country,” Banks continued. “You’ve never had the Speaker of the House deny the representatives that the Minority Party submitted for a select committee. It’s never happened before. It’s a break in precedent.”

“Why does Nancy Pelosi not want to hear the other side? Why does she not want to answer the tough questions that Jim Jordan and I were prepared to ask and demand answers to? It’s pretty clear why, because the further you go up that chain of command, the closer you get to Speaker Pelosi,” Banks alleged.

Pelosi’s office and the Capitol Police didn’t immediately respond to a request from The Epoch Times for comments.

Pelosi has said her rejection of Banks and Jordan was because of their statements and actions.

“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 previous statement.

“The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision,” the statement reads.

Both Banks and Jordan voted against the certification of the 2020 presidential election on Jan. 6.

The House Jan. 6 committee is expected to hold its first hearing Tuesday.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.