Speaker Pelosi has tapped Democratic Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the Democratic whip, to lead the bipartisan panel, which will be authorized “to examine all aspects of the federal response to the coronavirus and ensure the taxpayer’s dollars are being wisely and efficiently spent.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday announced a new House select committee to oversee the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. On a conference call with reporters, the California Democrat said House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., will lead the panel. Pelosi said the committee, which will include Democrats and Republicans, will oversee the Trump administration’s handling of the $2 trillion relief package passed last week and the government’s ongoing response to the crisis.
MSNBC:
“The panel will root out waste, fraud and abuse; it will protect against price-gauging, profiteering and political favoritism,” she told reporters on a press call. “The fact is, we do need transparency and accountability.”
At today’s Trump Show, Trump briefly addressed Speaker’s Pelosi decision to form this bi-partisan committee:
“I want to remind everyone here in our nation’s capital, especially in Congress, that this is not the time for politics,” Trump said, reading from prepared remarks. “Endless partisan investigations have already done extraordinary damage to our country in recent years.”
“It’s witch hunt, after witch hunt, after witch hunt. It’s not any time for witch hunts, it’s time to get this enemy defeated,” he continued. “Conducting these partisan investigations in the middle of a pandemic is a really big waste of vital resources, time, attention, and we want to fight for American lives, not waste time and build up my poll numbers. Because that’s all their doing because everyone knows it’s ridiculous.”
Trump did not explicitly mention Pelosi or a particular investigation, but the remarks appeared to be a warning shot in response to the Speaker creating a special committee “to examine all aspects of the federal response to the coronavirus and ensure the taxpayer’s dollars are being wisely and efficiently spent.”
