Shunned by G.O.P., Cheney and Kinzinger Seek Answers on Jan. 6 Riot

WASHINGTON — Outside the White House connected Monday, the eve of the archetypal proceeding to analyse the Capitol riot, Representative Kevin McCarthy had an insult and a menace for the 2 members of his enactment daring to enactment successful the enquiry into however and wherefore a pro-Trump mob attacked the Capitol connected Jan. 6.

He derided Representatives Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a staunch blimpish and subordinate of a storied Republican family, and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a six-term congressman and Air Force veteran, arsenic “Pelosi Republicans,” referring to the House talker who chose them to beryllium connected the peculiar sheet investigating the assault. As the number leader, helium suggested helium mightiness effort to portion them of different committee assignments arsenic punishment.

Around the aforesaid time, Ms. Pelosi made it wide that the brace would person salient roles successful the proceedings. Ms. Cheney would beryllium formed successful the spot traditionally played by the ranking subordinate of a committee, afforded the accidental to marque an opening connection instantly aft the chairman, Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi.

The divergent moves reflected the antithetic spot successful which Ms. Cheney and Mr. Kinzinger find themselves arsenic the probe gets underway — ostracized by their ain enactment and embraced by Democrats arsenic the lone Republicans consenting to request a afloat and bipartisan accounting for the worst onslaught connected Congress successful centuries.

It was lone months agone that Mr. McCarthy himself said that President Donald J. Trump “bears responsibility” for the mob violence; Senator Mitch McConnell, the apical Republican, warned that pursuing Mr. Trump’s lies astir a stolen predetermination would pb ideology into a “death spiral”; and scores of Republicans called for an probe of what had happened connected Jan. 6.

But contempt the injuries, humor and decease of that day, which threatened to extremity the United States’ streak of peaceful transfers of statesmanlike power, Republicans rapidly fell into enactment down Mr. Trump. Some denied oregon downplayed the violence, others embraced conspiracy theories astir who was to blame and galore simply pushed to halt talking astir the riot.

Republican lawmakers who had erstwhile demanded answers voted against forming an autarkic bipartisan committee to investigate, with lone 35 successful the House supporting its creation. Even the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Mr. Trump person mostly stayed silent.

Only Ms. Cheney and Mr. Kinzinger, who person continued to beryllium vocal successful denouncing the erstwhile president and the unit helium inspired, supported the instauration of the prime committee. It is to clasp its archetypal proceeding connected Tuesday, erstwhile respective constabulary officers who battled the mob are scheduled to testify.

The concern reflects what galore Republicans accidental is their governmental reality: They cognize supporters of Mr. Trump, believing his prevarication of a stolen election, committed the unit connected Jan. 6, but they are besides alert that dwelling connected that could wounded their chances of retaking the House successful the 2022 elections. So astir each of them are endeavoring to speech astir thing — immigration, rising inflation, spiking transgression rates — different than the riot, which they accidental Democrats privation to support successful the quality arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable and successful the minds of voters.

All, that is, but for Ms. Cheney and Mr. Kinzinger. They person gambled that their governmental aboriginal lies successful trying to alteration the enactment backmost to the 1 they accidental they knew increasing up. In their telling, they privation to instrumentality the Republican Party to an idealized mentation of the Bush oregon Reagan administrations emphasizing little taxes, hawkish defence and societal conservatism.

They person besides formed themselves arsenic the adults successful the party.

Ms. Cheney, who was ousted from House enactment successful May for criticizing Mr. Trump, responded to Mr. McCarthy’s insult connected Monday by calling his behaviour “pretty childish.”

“We’ve got precise superior concern here,” she said, earlier entering a committee country to hole for Tuesday’s hearing. “We person important enactment to do.”

Mr. Kinzinger chastised those Republicans who person sought to downplay oregon contradict the violence.

“For excessively long, we’ve been pretending that Jan. 6 didn’t happen,” Mr. Kinzinger told reporters. “Kevin McCarthy is technically my Republican leader. And to telephone members of Congress by childish names similar Donald Trump utilized to do, I conjecture is conscionable benignant of par for the course.”

Democrats person taken the accidental to item divisions successful the Republican Party and to effort to burnish the credibility of their investigation.

By granting Ms. Cheney a marquee speaking slot astatine the hearing, Democrats were ensuring that she would person a almighty level to aboveground her concerns astir the assault, lending bipartisan legitimacy to an enquiry that Republicans person worked to disregard arsenic a one-sided governmental attack.

Mr. McCarthy and his allies planned a counteroffensive, announcing a quality league 90 minutes earlier the proceeding was to convene successful which they were expected to knock Ms. Pelosi for picking and choosing which Republicans could beryllium connected the committee.

Republican leaders person boycotted the probe and said they would statesman their ain aft Ms. Pelosi refused to let 2 of Mr. Trump’s astir loyal allies successful the House — who had supported the mendacious claims of elector fraud that fueled the breach — to participate.

“In the past of Congress, ne'er has a talker done that,” Mr. McCarthy said connected Monday. “It conscionable makes the full committee a sham and the result predetermined.”

Yet the information of Ms. Cheney and Mr. Kinzinger volition marque for a vivid opposition that captures the authorities of their party. While they defy their leaders to perceive from constabulary officers brutalized by Trump loyalists, a radical of far-right Republicans planned to look extracurricular the Justice Department to broadside with the rioters.

Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said they were holding an lawsuit determination Tuesday day to denounce the attraction of “Jan. 6 prisoners.” They person portrayed those arrested arsenic victims of an unfair strategy that has targeted and punished supporters of Mr. Trump for their governmental beliefs.

Ms. Cheney and Mr. Kinzinger present find themselves successful the antithetic presumption of being defended by Democrats.

Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland and the bulk leader, called Mr. McCarthy’s insults “absurd.”

“These are radical who travel from blimpish Republican districts who person represented Republican values,” Mr. Hoyer said connected Monday connected MSNBC. “The quality is — and this is the key: They some judge successful the truth.”