House Oversight Committee set for contentious 2 years with additions of controversial Republican members
By Lauren Fox and Jeremy Diamond, CNN
Some of the most extreme voices in the Republican Party will play a central role in Congress’ efforts to investigate President Joe Biden, his family and his administration in the months ahead.
Republicans on Wednesday unveiled the full roster of members who will serve on the House Oversight Committee, including several — such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Scott Perry, Andy Biggs, Jim Jordan and Paul Gosar — who have denied the results of the 2020 presidential election and openly floated conspiracy theories.
The presence of such members sets up inevitable high-profile clashes in the months ahead as Republicans move through their promised investigations. The oversight panel has often served as a place for controversial members of Congress to engage in fiery back-and-forths so as to attract attention to themselves and contentious topics.
Jordan, Biggs and Gosar, for example, served on the committee in the previous Congress, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasia-Cortez, one of the most prominent progressive Democrats in the House, has served on the panel since joining Congress in 2019. (Democrats have yet to pick their slate of lawmakers to serve on the committee for this Congress).
The White House on Wednesday slammed the appointments.
Ian Sams, a spokesman for the White House counsel’s office, accused Republicans of “handing the keys of oversight to the most extreme MAGA members of the Republican caucus who promote violent rhetoric and dangerous conspiracy theories.”
“As we have said before, the Biden administration stands ready to work in good faith to accommodate Congress’ legitimate oversight needs. However, with these members joining the Oversight Committee, it appears that House Republicans may be setting the stage for divorced-from-reality political stunts, instead of engaging in bipartisan work on behalf of the American people,” Sams said in a statement provided to CNN.
The Anti-Defamation League also condemned the decision to restore Greene and Gosar to committees after they were stripped of such responsibilities in the last Congress following incendiary remarks.
“We are deeply troubled by the decision to assign committees to @RepMTG and @RepGosar,” the group tweeted on Tuesday. “Supporters of anti-democratic violent conspiracy theories have no place in leadership — and especially not on committees with relevant jurisdiction.”
The House voted in February 2021 to remove Greene from her committee assignments following incendiary and violent past statements including that she repeatedly indicated support for executing prominent Democratic politicians before being elected to Congress.
In November 2021, the House voted to censure Gosar and remove him from his committees after he posted a photoshopped anime video to social media showing him appearing to kill Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Joe Biden.
This is the full list of Republicans who will serve on the committee:
- Chairman James Comer of Kentucky
- Jim Jordan of Ohio
- Mike Turner of Ohio
- Paul Gosar of Arizona
- Virginia Foxx of North Carolina
- Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin
- Gary Palmer of Alabama
- Clay Higgins of Louisiana
- Andy Biggs of Arizona
- Nancy Mace of South Carolina
- Jake LaTurner of Kansas
- Pat Fallon of Texas
- Byron Donalds of Florida
- Pete Sessions of Texas
- Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota
- Scott Perry of Pennsylvania
- William Timmons of South Carolina
- Tim Burchett of Tennessee
- Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia
- Lisa McClain of Michigan
- Lauren Boebert of Colorado
- Russell Fry of South Carolina
- Anna Paulina Luna of Florida
- Chuck Edwards of North Carolina
- Nick Langworthy of New York
- Eric Burlison of Missouri
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CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.
