Members of the GOP are crying foul over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s pick to lead a review of Capitol security in the wake of a deadly riot on the Hill on Jan. 6.
According to the Washington Examiner, barely a week had gone by since the Capitol attack when Pelosi (D-CA) tasked retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré with leading what she called “an immediate review of the Capitol’s security infrastructure, interagency processes and procedures, and command and control.”
On Jan. 15, Pelosi described Honoré as “a respected leader with experience dealing with crises.” But “respected” may not be the word Republicans would use to characterize him.
“Should be run out of D.C.”
As the Examiner notes, Honoré has made a series of controversial statements that have Republicans worried he can’t be an impartial investigator. In one instance less than a week after the Capitol attack, the retired lieutenant general wrote in a tweet that Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley (R) is a “little peace [sic] of s**t” who “should be run out of DC and Disbarred ASAP.”
The now-deleted tweet also accused Hawley, along with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (R), of having “high order white privilege,” the Examiner reported.
The next day, Honoré voiced agreement with a tweet from MSNBC host Joe Scarborough that read: “Kevin McCarthy voted to throw out millions of Black votes on January 6th. He had pushed House Republicans back 50 years into the Jim Crow Era. What American company can ever afford to contribute again to McCarthy’s New Jim Crow Party?”
“A totalitarian leftist general”
It all has Republican lawmakers like Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert accusing the retired lieutenant general of fomenting a “deep-seated hatred.”
“Speaker Pelosi’s choice to investigate the causes and events leading to January 6 of someone who has displayed through his public statements a deep-seated hatred for Republicans provides clear evidence she does not seek an investigation, but rather simply wants a firing squad to take out political opponents,” Gohmert said, according to the Examiner.
“We do need answers about January 6, but not from a totalitarian leftist general who has such hateful animus for those with opposing political views,” he added.
“Independent and without influence”
Earlier this month, House Republicans said in a letter to Pelosi that they and their GOP colleagues in the Senate remained “skeptical” that Honoré could be fair in his review, particularly since he was chosen for the job “without consultation” from Republicans.
“While there is widespread support to conduct an independent security review of the campus, General Russel Honoré was appointed solely by you, without consultation of the minority,” House Republicans wrote to the speaker.
“We are hopeful his review will result in beneficial recommendations that are not influenced by political motivations,” they added. “However, it is easy to understand why we and our Senate counterparts remain skeptical that any of his final recommendations will be independent and without influence from you.”
The post Republicans push back on Pelosi’s pick to lead Capitol security review first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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