House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries chose California Rep. Eric Swalwell to lead Democrats on a newly formed subcommittee to re-investigate events surrounding the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Jeffries also picked Reps. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) to sit on the panel, which was initiated by the House GOP as part of a broad effort by Republicans to rewrite the history of the Capitol attack.
Under the measure forming the panel that passed the House last week, Jeffries is entitled to suggest three names to House Speaker Mike Johnson, who holds ultimate power to name its members. A spokesperson for Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the speaker would approve Jeffries’ picks.
The original select panel was formed by Democrats in the immediate aftermath of the Capitol attack. At the time, Speaker Nancy Pelosi vetoed two of then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s selections for the committee, which in turn prompted McCarthy to withdraw GOP participation altogether. One Republican not recommended by McCarthy, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, later joined as vice chair.
Just as the Republican lawmakers Pelosi rejected were known as conservative firebrands, the three lawmakers Jeffries has selected are known as outspoken progressive messengers on the Hill and prominent critics of Trump. Republicans could cite Pelosi’s precedent in rejecting Jeffries’ slate of picks.
Jeffries accused the GOP in a statement of “trying to rewrite history and corrupt our electoral system” through the new panel. “House Democrats will continue to forcefully and aggressively push back, as we did with Donald Trump’s second impeachment and the work done by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol,” he added
The new panel will operate under the House Judiciary Committee and will be chaired by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), who has said he intends to create his own report on the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), as ranking member of Judiciary, will also an ex officio member of the panel, according to the provision that passed the House last week. Raskin also served on the previous committee.
Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.
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