Pelosi started a war Jeffries has to finish  – Roll Call

Democrats argue that Schiff and Swalwell have over two decades of distinguished leadership providing oversight of our nation s Intelligence Community, calling them eminently qualified.  

But both sides are now arguing the wrong point. 

The fact is when Pelosi, much like the monarch Washington feared becoming, made her unilateral decision to reject the appointments of Jim Jordan and Jim Banks to the Jan. 6 committee, she broke, perhaps irretrievably, the long-standing tradition that the minority party chooses its own members for standing and select committees. 

In January 2022, McCarthy characterized her move this way: The Democrats have created a new thing where they re picking and choosing who could be on committee. Never in the history [of Congress] have you had the majority tell the minority who could be on committee. Until Pelosi. 

No one is arguing that Speaker Pelosi didn t have the power to do what she did. But was it the right thing to do? Her legacy now includes becoming the first speaker to strong-arm a select committee into existence and dictate its composition without the participation of the legitimate minority party leadership. 

via rollcall.com