It’s widely understood at this point that Kevin McCarthy erred mightily in 2021 when he effectively boycotted the House Jan. 6 committee by pulling all five Republicans he had picked for the panel.
His short-sighted furor followed then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s rejection of two of his picks for the committee, Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks, because both had voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
McCarthy clearly thought caping for Jordan and Banks would earn him some credibility in right-wing circles. But ultimately, his refusal to seat anyone on the committee unless his far-right pals went along for the ride prevented the GOP from gaining much insight into the committee’s inner workings (even though it did have two members on the committee).
Even former President Donald Trump reportedly came to loathe McCarthy’s decision. CNN, Politico and The Washington Post all published articles last summer citing sources who said Trump had become furious during the Jan. 6 hearings, watching as the committee dropped bombshell after bombshell with no MAGA Republicans around to defend him.
“I don’t understand why Kevin didn’t put anyone on the committee,” Trump said, according to a CNN source.
Democrats won’t make that mistake in this congressional term. House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar explained why in an interview with Politico this week:








