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Trump Booster Jim Jordan Among 5 GOP Picks for House Jan. 6 Committee

After some doubt about whether Trumpiest House faction would participate, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has chosen five names.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) will move to appoint five House Republicans to serve on a special committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to Politico, ending speculation about whether Capitol Hill’s Trumpiest faction would participate in a panel nearly all of them opposed as a vehicle to smear the reputation of the former president.

McCarthy’s selection to head up the GOP side of the panel is Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), a rising star in the ranks and an ardent Trump booster. He’ll be joined by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), one of Trump’s most high-profile defenders in Congress, Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), a more center-right Republican who serves on the committee that oversees congressional operations, and Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) and Troy Nehls (R-TX).

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) moved to create the committee in June after Senate Republicans blocked a House-passed bill creating an independent commission to investigate Jan. 6. She has named eight members to the panel—including one Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). The committee has its first hearing scheduled for July 27.