- The Washington Times - Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Washington Democrat, is now 0-for-3 in her ethics complaints against the House Republicans whom she accused of instigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

Republican Reps. Mo Brooks of Alabama and Paul Gosar of Arizona said Tuesday that the House ethics committee had dropped the Democrat’s claims against them, a day after Rep. Lauren Boebert, Colorado Republican, announced that she too had been cleared.

In its June 11 letters to the Republican lawmakers, the committee said that a vote to establish a subcommittee to investigate the complaints failed, and that because the rule “provides for no specific further action, the Committee will not further review the complaint.”

In a Tuesday statement, Mr. Gosar blasted what he described as Ms. Jayapal’s “meritless complaint.”

“This patently baseless claim attempted to conflate political disagreements with ethics,” Mr. Gosar said. “The House Committee on Ethics should not be politicized for partisan purposes.”

Mr. Brooks had no comment on the committee’s decision, while Ms. Boebert slammed Monday what she called a “ridiculous ethics complaint rehashing leftist media talking points and offering no real substance.”

Ms. Jayapal accused the Republicans of “instigating and aiding the violent riot at the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021,” which they denied.

The three were among the 120 House Republicans who objected to the Electoral College results from Arizona, a decision that Mr. Gosar defended in his response, noting that Ms. Jayapal did the same with the 2016 presidential election certification in Georgia.

“I had every right to file an objection to the certification of the electors,” Mr. Gosar said in his response to the complaint. “Just as she did in 2017.”

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

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