July 28 (UPI) — House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday withdrew all minority party members from the House special committee on economic disparity, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office said.
Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, told CNN that all six Republicans on the panel were removed prior to its first meeting later this week. A representative for her office confirmed the news to The Hill.
It’s unclear whether the removal is permanent.
An unnamed source told CNN McCarthy made the move as “a hold for if and when he gets his appointments to the 1/6 committee.”
Last week, Pelosi vetoed two of McCarthy’s picks to be on a separate special committee to probe the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol — Reps. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, both allies of former President Donald Trump.
McCarthy accused Pelosi of an “egregious abuse of power” and said he would withdraw the rest of his selections if she refused to approve the two lawmakers.
The Republican members on the economic disparity panel included Reps. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Jodey Arrington of Texas, Stephanie Bice of Oklahoma, Kat Cammack of Florida and Byron Donalds of Florida.
McCarthy’s move comes as members of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack heard testimony on Tuesday from police officers injured while fighting off rioters.
It was the first hearing of the special committee formed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to probe the attack. The rioters were attempting to disrupt the official certification of Joe Biden as president.
U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell told lawmakers how he was attacked by rioters and how he tried performing CPR in an attempt to save a woman who had breached the building.
“What we were subjected to that day was like something from a medieval battle; a violent mob intent of subverting our democracy,” Gonell said. “My fellow officers and I were committed to not letting any rioters breach the Capitol.
