Staff Reports
Amidst the ongoing controversy of the Biden Documents Scandal and the Chinese spy balloon incident in Montana, some Republicans have not lost sight of the security lapses at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio and Troy Nehls of Texas, both Republicans, have spoken out and held Speaker Nancy Pelosi responsible for the security shortcomings.
A Republican report released in late December of 2022 implicated Pelosi in the security failures at the Capitol on January 6th, accusing her of causing “political pressures” that resulted in insufficient security measures and poor preparations. The report stated that House Sergeant at Arms Paul Irving, who was under the authority of Pelosi as one of three members of the Capitol Police Board, “gave in to political pressures from Speaker Pelosi and House Democratic leadership” and “failed to properly prepare for potential violence at the Capitol.”
The report also alleged that Pelosi and her team closely collaborated with Irving on security planning for the Joint Session of Congress on January 6th, while deliberately excluding Republicans from crucial security-related discussions. Additionally, it was reported that Irving instructed a senior Democratic staff member to feign surprise when he sent “critical information regarding the plans for the Joint Session on January 6, 2021” to both him and his Republican counterpart.
Representatives Jordan and Nehls were two of the five Republicans who produced the report, which also asserted that staff within the House Sergeant at Arms office “sent emails to Paul Irving blaming Pelosi for January 6th,” without providing any concrete evidence to support that statement. Jordan and Nehls have both publicly commented on Pelosi’s responsibility for the security failures. Jordan stated that “the absence of adequate security on that day can be traced back to the speaker’s staff and office,” while Nehls declared “Nancy, we’ll get you and bring you back from Italy when you’re the ambassador.”
The statements made by Jordan and Nehls demonstrate that, even though other issues have taken center stage in recent weeks, Pelosi is still in the sights of some in GOP leadership and past wrongs have not been forgotten. The report released by Republicans in late December of 2022 provides a detailed account of Pelosi’s involvement in the security failures at the Capitol on January 6th. It is clear that some Republicans are still focused on holding Nancy Pelosi accountable for her role in the events of that day.
