Trump: “Foolish” decision Republicans not represented on the Jan. 6 committee

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• Former President Trump called it a “bad decision” for Republicans “not to have representation” on the committee investigating January 6.
• The committee was formed after Republicans blocked a bipartisan commission.
• It’s a totally one-sided kangaroo court,” Trump said,

Former President Donald Trump said last week it was a bad decision for House Republicans not to have representation in the committee investigating the January 6 Capitol attack.

“Unfortunately, a bad decision was made,” Trump said in an interview with conservative radio host Wayne Allyn Root. It “was a bad decision not to have representation on that committee. That was a very, very foolish decision.”

Trump added that the committee tries to “pretend that they’re legit” but that it’s “just a one-sided witch hunt.”

Last year, Senate Republicans blocked the formation of a bipartisan committee to investigate the Capitol attack.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of the Republicans who voted in favor of the commission, said at the time the “investigations will happen with or without Republicans” and that the GOP should be involved “to ensure the investigations are fair, impartial and focused on the facts.”

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy initially expressed interest in the committee but later came out against it, leading to the Senate vote. McCarthy blamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for refusing “to negotiate in good faith on basic parameters.”

Trump was also against the idea of the bipartisan commission at the time, calling it a “Democrat trap.”

McCarthy called the Jan. 6 committee “illegitimate” and dismissed efforts to investigate the Capitol attack, even as leaked audio from the days after the attack revealed him promising to do exactly that.

“We cannot just sweep this under the rug. We need to know why it happened, who did it, and people need to be held accountable for it,” McCarthy said. “And I’m committed to make sure that happens.”

During the interview last week, Trump called the House committee and the ongoing hearings a “disgrace.”

“We have no representation on this panel. We should have, certainly, some Republicans — real Republicans,” Trump said.

Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, who voted to impeach Trump, are the only Republican members of the select committee. They are often called RINOs, or Republicans in Name Only, by Trump and his supporters.

“It’s a terrible thing when you look at it. It’s a totally one-sided kangaroo court,” Trump said, adding: “In a way, the Republicans should be ashamed of themselves.”

Source: Insider