January 6 hearing: Rep. Banks, banned from panel by Pelosi, describes his own investigation

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Jan. 6 committee 'entirely and completely' partisan: Rep. Jim Banks

Republican Study Committee chair tells 'The Story' why the American people have already dismissed the Capitol riot hearing.

When the January 6 Select Committee was empaneled, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the unprecedented step of barring two of the minority party's chosen members from being seated, including Republican Indiana Congressman Jim Banks.

Banks told Fox News ahead of the Thursday night hearing he nonetheless worked independently on his own to investigate the aspects of the Capitol protests that Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., are not.

"First and foremost, the Capitol was not secure that day. There was a systemic breakdown of security and leadership within Capitol security; the top levels of the Capitol Police. When Pelosi kicked me and Jim Jordan off that committee and said we weren't allowed to serve on it, we still went to work," he said on "The Story."

Other members of the Jan. 6 committee include Reps. Elaine Luria of Virginia, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, and Adam B. Schiff of California. Pelosi said Banks and Jordan would endanger the "integrity" of the committee, adding she would only accept the GOP's other nominees: Reps. Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota, Rodney Davis of Illinois and Troy Nehls of Texas.

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Bennie Thompson, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Jamie Raskin (Drew Angerer/Getty)

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy responded by pulling the entire slate, pledging not to participate in the "sham process."

Banks said he and Jordan interviewed several Capitol law enforcement and determined "serious issues" around security and intelligence gathering & dissemination.

An official from the union representing Capitol Police disclosed there was no intelligence-sharing that may have better prepared officers for the chaos, Banks said.

"They had faulty or outdated equipment. Some of them didn't even have riot shields or helmets on. The rioters had better equipment than they did," he claimed. "You haven't heard about these serious issues raised at all by this sham January 6 Committee."

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Various members of the Jan. 6 Select Committee (Chip Somodevilla/Getty)

The true intent of the Thompson-Cheney committee is to legally prevent their joint political nemesis, Donald Trump, from being able to run for office again, Banks said.

Other conservatives have pointed to the frequent use of the term "insurrection" as a potential means for Democrats to invoke the 14th Amendment to stymie Trump if they are able to link him to such a branding – as Section III therein bars those "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same" from federal or military office.

Banks said the areas of his investigation are not helpful to the Jan. 6 committee's intended partisan ends.

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"[T]hat changes the narrative away from the political witch hunt going after Donald Trump and their narrative to try to abolish the Electoral College, prevent Donald Trump's name from ever being on the ballot again [and] to intimidate Donald Trump's former staffers," he said.

"That's what it's all about. It's not about the serious issues that would go a long way to securing our Capitol and preventing something like this from ever happening again."