Even though Scott Perry was implicated in the inquiry and is currently being looked into by the Justice Department, he would not excuse himself from being chosen for a panel looking at the January 6 select committee.
The leader of the House Freedom Caucus argued that he shouldn’t be ‘restricted’ from participating in any upcoming inquiries into the probe of Donald Trump and the attack on the Capitol on January 6.
A so-called “Church-style” committee would be appointed to investigate the January 6 select committee, according to new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Perry confirmed that ‘we are going to investigate’ the origins of the panel’s formation and said lawmakers shouldn’t be limited from service solely due to accusations.
Scott Perry, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, questioned “why should I be constrained” as a result of charges and stated that he would not disqualify himself from being able to participate in a panel investigating the January 6 Select Committee.
Will you promise not to sit on that committee considering that you are a subject of the Justice Department’s investigation? Perry was questioned on Sunday morning by George Stephanopoulos, presenter of ABC This Week.
Well, why should anyone or me be restricted just because someone has leveled an accusation? the Pennsylvania congressman from the Republican party.
In America, everyone is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, he added. The American people are quite tired of being persecuted and having the tools of government power used against them, I would say.
Perry remarked, “That sounds like some tin horn third world tyranny.” Yes, we will investigate because we must. The fact that these entities are manifestly out of control and going amok requires our attention.
The 1975 Senate panel, chaired by Democrats and looking into abuses by the CIA, NSA, FBI, and IRS, is referred to as the Church Committee. The committee was a part of several investigations into misuses of intelligence that ultimately resulted in the establishment of the permanent Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Just two Republicans, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming, were on the panel that met on January 6. Cheney was ousted from office by her old Wyoming constituents, while Kinzinger decided not to compete for reelection after losing favor with the GOP. The January 6 committee sent a number of inquiries to the DOJ and House Ethics Committee as part of its inquiry into the Capitol disturbance last month.
Both Cheney and Kizninger, as well as the seven other Democrats who sat on the now-defunct panel, may be the subject of investigations by the incoming Republican-majority House.
Perry was a major participant in the investigation into the January 6 committee, therefore Stephanopoulos advised him to step down from the inquiry.
“So, should everyone who disagrees with someone in Congress be prevented from using the oversight and investigation powers that Congress has?” Perry retaliated. ‘
‘I get accused of all kinds of things every single day, as does every member that serves in the public eye,’ he said. You can still perform your duties despite that, though. Both my obligation and our duty are to do it.
As the nine-member January 6 panel wrapped up their probe last month, they made several criminal referrals to the DOJ, including for former President Donald Trump and Perry.
The investigations may involve former Republican representatives Adam Kinzinger (right) and Liz Cheney (center).
Additionally, they encouraged the DOJ to bring charges against GOP allies of the former president Jim Jordan of Ohio and Andy Biggs of Arizona as well as new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Perry, who chairs the most conservative caucus in the House, said his goal has always been to make it ‘really, really hard to cheat’ in an election through ‘fraud’ or other means.
‘There are things have been done that makes this vote more important than that vote,’ Perry said. And that’s not right, either. Each vote ought to have equal weight.
Perry was one of the more than 100 House Republicans who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election result for Joe Biden, claiming that there was enough foul play in certain states to bring into question the entire results.
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