Jim Banks

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Cathie Humbarger of Fort Wayne, as she retired recently from her position with the Right to Life of Northeast Indiana. Cathie's decades-long leadership in the pro-life movement has been extraordinary. Formerly the communications director for the National Right to Life and Vice President of the Indiana Right to Life, Cathie has defended life at every level and before every audience possible. As just one example, she was a very public proponent of a bill signed into law by Governor Eric Holcomb last spring to codify new restrictions on the ability for minors to get abortions and for clinics to prescribe abortion-inducing pills. As another, for years, Cathie helped organize the annual summer ``Pro-Life Boot Camp'' at the University of St. Francis to equip high school and college students with the tools necessary to defend life in the public space. Cathie was also essential in helping mobilize Northeast Indiana's contingent to attend the annual National March for Life in Washington, D.C. One of the highlights of my time in Congress was being joined on stage by Cathie at the 2017 March as Vice President Mike Pence gave one of the most forceful defenses for life ever. Beyond her professional accolades and achievements, of which there are many, Cathie is one of the kindest, most genuine, and dutiful people I have ever known. I am proud to call her a friend of many years and wish her Godspeed as she enters a new chapter of her life. This document serves as a testament to Cathie's career and character, and an appeal to future generations--that they be inspired by Cathie to carry on the fight for life in the years and decades to come.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Senator Dennis Kruse of Auburn, Indiana, as he prepares to retire after a long and distinguished career in public service. Dennis is a model statesman in the Indiana Statehouse, where he has served for 32 years; first as a state representative from 1989 to 2004, and then as a state senator. During his tenure in the senate, he served as Senate Education Committee chairman, where I had the opportunity to work with him. In this role, Dennis introduced and helped pass numerous pieces of legislation to improve education in the state, including bills to establish the state's formal teacher evaluation system, to improve school discipline, to enhance before- and after-school programs and teacher preparation, and more. Senator Kruse was also a culture warrior long before most of us were. He introduced bills in the statehouse to codify the Christian view of marriage; to bring back prayer to public schools; to prohibit sex changes for minors; and more. More recently, he announced that he will be introducing bills this next session to protect medical freedom and to allow public displays of religious historical documents. Also notable is his longtime commitment to constituent services, which remains a model for officials state- and nation-wide. Senator Kruse is not only an exemplary public servant; he is also a great man whose devotion to his community and family is palpable. I am proud to call him a mentor and a friend and I am honored to have worked alongside him. I wish him and his wife, Kay, the best as they prepare to enter a new chapter of their lives. Let this document serve as a testament to Dennis' commitment to the betterment of those whom he served and to the legacy that will endure long after he is gone.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, here we go again. For the first time in history, Democrats have complete control over a select committee. I hope the American people are paying close attention. I hope they see what happens when Democrats get total power. They abuse it. They intimidate, they threaten, and they harass. And they try to put their political opponents in jail. In a matter of weeks, the committee has passed three criminal contempt citations. Today, we vote on holding Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress. On September 23, 2021, the select committee served former Congressman Meadows a subpoena for a sweeping set of documents and a deposition. In October, President Trump instructed Mr. Meadows to maintain his executive privilege in any response to that subpoena. Mr. Meadows then told the select committee that he would give them any information they requested that wasn't protected by executive privilege. Mr. Meadows gave the select committee over 6,800 pages of information, including 1,100 documents and 2,300 text messages. Mr. Meadows agreed to sit for a deposition if it was limited to areas not protected by executive privilege. He tried to cooperate, but the select committee didn't care. Mr. Meadows even sought an independent ruling on the question of executive privilege, but the select committee voted to hold him in contempt anyway, just like they did with Mr. Clark, who offered to participate pending the Supreme Court's decision in Trump v. Thompson. Apparently, the select committee's rules go like this: Ignore the former President and don't wait for legal rulings. Immediately do everything that we say without objection, or we will refer you for criminal prosecution. They don't care about fairness or due process. The point isn't cooperation or factfinding. They care about punishment. The point is prosecution. And, of course, the point is the headline that they are going for: Former Trump Chief of Staff found in contempt of Congress. But that headline omits the ugly and partisan truth about the select committee. According to the committee's charter, H. Res. 503: ``The Speaker shall appoint 13 Members to the select committee, five of whom shall be appointed after consultation with the minority leader.'' But the committee has zero members appointed in consultation with Leader McCarthy. And it doesn't have 13 members; it has 9. According to the committee's charter, if Mr. Meadows had come in for a deposition, the minority must have been allowed to question Mr. Meadows for the same length of time as the majority, except no members of the committee were named by the minority. This isn't nitpicking. The Supreme Court has found that a select committee must follow its own rules to act with legal force. So we have the select committee as it exists legally and on paper, and then we have something completely different. I don't know what to call it, but it doesn't resemble the select committee that Democrats voted to pass on the House floor. It is just nine members picked by Speaker Pelosi. The group is trampling on Americans' constitutional rights and the rights of Congress, like Mr. Meadows, and current Members of Congress. They even include Americans whose sole offense, according to Chairman Thompson, was planning a legal, permitted, and First Amendment- protected political rally. Thanks to media reports, we know that Democrats have seized their enemies' call and text records, geolocation data, and personal contacts. We know of hundreds of instances. It could be more. All we know for sure about this partisan investigation is that it is massive. It is happening without accountability, and it is happening in secret. The select committee should serve as a warning to all Americans. This is what you get when Democrats get free rein: secret snooping, harassment, contempt for the rules of Congress, criminalization of dissent, and it all ends with their opponents in jail. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record three articles. First: ``J6 Committee Misleading Witnesses About Republican Staff Presence,'' by Mollie Hemingway, that was published in The Federalist. Second: ``The Democratic Norm Breakers: The January 6 committee wants to subpoena GOP phone records,'' by The Wall Street Journal editorial page. Third: ``Civil Liberties Are Being Trampled by Exploiting `Insurrection' Fears. Congress's 1/6 Committee May Be the Worst Abuse Yet: The Unconstitutionality of the 1/6 Committee,'' by Glenn Greenwald, published by Substack. [From the Federalist, Nov. 10, 2021] J6 Committee Misleading Witnesses About Republican Staff Presence Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney ran to CNN a few weeks ago to accuse conservative stalwart Rep. Jim Banks of falsely presenting himself as the Jan. 6 commission's ranking member. Banks is, in fact, congressional Republicans' choice to be their top investigator on the committee, but he has been prevented from fulfilling his duties by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. However, it's Cheney who appears to be misrepresenting herself as the ranking member--that is, the top Republican-- on the committee. January 6 Select Committee staff have been falsely telling witnesses that Republican staff will be present for interviews, according to multiple eyewitness sources and documents. In fact, not a single Republican-appointed member of Congress nor a single staff member representing the Republican conference is part of the controversial committee. Witnesses are being told that John Wood, a longtime friend and ally of the Cheney family, will represent Republicans when witnesses testify. But neither Cheney nor her friend is representing the Republican conference. In fact, Cheney was appointed to the committee in early July by Pelosi herself. ``John Wood works for the Democrat Party, just like Liz Cheney, who was appointed by Pelosi and is not the Ranking Member of the Select Committee. She is misleading witnesses, before they testify under penalty of law, about the motives and the position of the person questioning them,'' said Banks, who has continued leading Republicans' investigation of the federal government's handling of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. Cheney's work with CNN was designed to prevent him from being able to gain answers to the questions the select committee was ostensibly set up to answer. Cheney was given six days to explain whether she considers herself just the Democrat-appointed vice-chair of the committee or also the Republican ranking member, as is being represented to key witnesses. She has not responded to multiple requests for comment. The misrepresentation to witnesses is key because the absence of any ranking member--meaning, in this case, any Republican-appointed member--or minority party staff means the committee appears to be failing to adhere to ironclad rules for its work. Pelosi ``blew up'' the Jan. 6 committee when she took what she herself admitted was the ``unprecedented'' step of refusing to seat multiple Republican-appointed members, including the highly respected Navy officer and Indiana Republican Banks, who was to be the committee's ranking member. She also banned Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who currently serves as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. Pelosi chose two of her key Republican allies and anti- Trump obsessives to fill two of her slots for the committee. As such, they do not represent the Republican conference, which opposed their selection, but the Democrat conference, which supported their selection. Cheney was promoted to vice-chair in September in thanks for her stalwart work on Pelosi's behalf. Cheney, who has been censured by Wyoming Republicans for working against Republican voters and their interests, and who lost her position as House Conference chair for hijacking multiple briefings for Republican policy initiatives to talk about her personal vendetta against Trump, is facing precipitously low poll numbers and a challenge from popular Republican Harriet Hageman. Cheney was joined by lame-duck Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who recently announced his retirement rather than facing certain defeat from Illinois constituents who don't share his anti-Trump obsession. Kinzinger was appointed by Pelosi in late July to make the committee appear more bipartisan after she'd vetoed Banks and Jordan. Cheney, her selection for vice-chair, was brought in for the sole purpose of helping Democrats with their tribunal. The resolution establishing the committee, purportedly to investigate the federal government's role in detecting, preventing, preparing for, and responding to the Jan. 6 riot, says depositions taken by the select committee must follow House rules. Those rules clearly state, ``Consultation with the ranking minority member shall include three days' notice before any deposition.'' Also, ``A deposition shall be conducted by any member or committee counsel designated by the chair or ranking minority member of the Committee that noticed the deposition. When depositions are conducted by committee counsel, there shall be no more than two committee counsel permitted to question a witness per round. One of the committee counsel shall be designated by the chair and the other by the ranking minority member per round.'' Additionally, the rules say, ``Deposition questions shall be propounded in rounds. The length of each round shall not exceed 60 minutes per side and shall provide equal time to the majority and the minority. In each round, the member(s) or committee counsel designated by the chair shall ask questions first, and the member(s) or committee counsel designated by the ranking minority member shall ask questions second.'' The point of these rules is to structure depositions so the minority and the majority counsel have the same opportunity to question witnesses and gather information for their separate reports. That's why they rotate and why they're allotted equal time. Having questions alternate from one hostile lawyer to another hostile lawyer who is working with the first makes a mockery of the provisions. It also means that the hostile lawyers can coordinate and cherry-pick which information to leak or publish, and which to conceal from the public because it contradicts their preferred narrative. The rules do not envision the circumstances that accompany Pelosi's uni-party select committee. The House Rules ``become nonsensical in a situation like this,'' said one congressional aide, adding, ``This isn't just a partisan investigation--it's a coverup.'' For the select committee to be in accordance with the rules regarding consultation for depositions, Cheney must be considered simultaneously the ranking member for the minority party while also being the vice-chair for the majority party. Hill lawyers say Pelosi's handling of the committee casts doubt on its adherence to the rules. Because she vetoed the ranking member from the committee, it has no ranking member. But the committee rules require consultation with the ranking member before taking certain basic actions, such as taking depositions, including those pursuant to subpoenas. ``So how can you consult with the ranking member when you don't have one?'' asked one Hill attorney. The multiple sources consulted for this article include a document which confirmed January 6 Committee staff represented to a witness that Wood would be the Republican counsel during their interview. ``If this was a real investigation, that'd land you in jail for prosecutorial misconduct,'' Banks said of the false representation. ``Fortunately for Liz, this is a sham investigation,'' he added.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan).

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, let's be very, very clear. The Democrats aren't interested in finding out how a disorganized horde of rioters managed to break into the United States Capitol on January 6. They don't want to learn more about the security breakdown that occurred that day, and they don't care about protecting the Capitol from future attacks. They have proven it to us. None of the 51 subpoenas that the committee has publicly touted have anything to do with Capitol security. As they have proven yet again today, over and over again, they only care about attacking their political enemies. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My Republican colleagues and I have repeatedly condemned political violence in all of its forms, including the violence on January 6. But the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, who was elected by Democrats to oversee Federal law enforcement, secured a Presidential pardon for Susan Rosenberg, a domestic terrorist who set off a bomb in the Senate Cloakroom in 1983. That is a fact. Merrick Garland, appointed by Democrats to head the Justice Department, helped the Obama administration to dismiss an indictment against Elizabeth Ann Duke, a fugitive who was also arrested for setting off a bomb inside the United States Capitol. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Roy).

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs).

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Again, what you have heard today proves what we have said all along. This select committee is not at all interested in doing anything to prevent something like January 6 from ever happening again. It is all about burying their political opponents. That is what they are about to do today by holding Mr. Meadows in contempt. It is what they have already done two times before. It is an absolute shame. We shouldn't allow it to happen. I urge all of my colleagues to vote against this resolution today. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Kevin Ryan of Fishers for his dedicated service to Indiana's financial sector as he prepares to retire as CEO of Financial Center First Credit Union. Kevin's credit union career spans decades dating back to the 1980s. Most notably, he has led Financial Center First CU as its CEO since 2009. During his years leading the Financial Center, the credit union has doubled in asset size to $828 million, with membership growth also doubling to more than 80,000. To this end, Financial Center is one of the nation's leading credit unions in financial literacy outreach, receiving national awards every year from 2014 to 2021 for those efforts. Kevin's success with Financial Center made a tremendous impact on the lives of countless others in other ways, as well. Over the years, Financial Center raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through its annual golf outings to donate to organizations feeding the hungry, including the Mozel Sanders Foundation, the Salvation Army Food Pantry, and Gleaners Food Bank. In addition to this work, Kevin sought a way to pay tribute to Hoosier veterans. So, he traveled to credit unions around the state to raise funds to construct the Indiana Military Veterans Hall of Fame, which honors veterans with ties to Indiana. Now, generations of Hoosiers will have the opportunity to honor Indiana's heroes who fought to keep our country free. I am proud to honor Kevin as a testament to his work and legacy. I thank Kevin for all that he has done for our state, and we wish him the best as he begins the next chapter of his life.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Cameron Collier of Decatur, Indiana for his dedicated service to our Nation as an officer in the United States Navy. Cameron has just retired from the Navy, and I wish to reflect the gratitude I, and all northeast Indiana, have for him. Having graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2001, Cameron reported to Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 2003, where he underwent training in preparation for deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During Iraqi Freedom, Cameron served as a Radar Intercept Officer aboard the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman. In 2006, Cameron moved to Annapolis, Maryland with his family, where he served as the Training Officer on staff at the Naval Academy. He left active-duty service in 2010 to pursue a career in financial planning, yet remained an officer in the Naval Reserve, attaining the rank of Commander in 2016. In this capacity, he also served as Chairman of my Service Academy Board, responsible for interviewing and evaluating high school students in Indiana's Third District seeking a nomination to U.S. service academies. I hope Cameron's heart is filled with joy knowing he has played an essential part in securing our country's greatest blessings. As he retires from the Navy and prepares to move on to the next chapter of his life, understand that his record of service will stand as a shining example to generations of Hoosiers contemplating serving our country for years to come.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Beth Sherman for her dedicated service to LaGrange County, Indiana. Residents of LaGrange County owe a debt gratitude to Beth for her leadership at the LaGrange County Chamber of Commerce. Beth joined the chamber in 2006, and soon after became its executive director, a position in which she served for 12 years. Under her leadership, the chamber's membership doubled, and business in the county blossomed. The chamber's membership stands at more than 400 businesses today, up from the 146 members in 2006 when Beth started. The county's unemployment rate is roughly half that of the national average, and future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 47.4 percent, considerably higher than the US average of 33.5 percent. These benchmarks, and others, can be attributed in large measure to Beth. Her commitment to helping local businesses grow was palpable, as she advocated tirelessly for its members, brought members of the Chamber together through events, helped to transform the Chamber's marketing and outreach efforts, and more. Aside from her work in the chamber, Beth is a beloved member of the LaGrange County community and intends to remain active in retirement. I am proud to include in the Record this document as a testament to Beth's work and legacy. Because of her, more Hoosiers in LaGrange County have good jobs, can support their families, and enjoy a higher quality of life. Although she will no longer lead Chamber, her legacy will endure, and her commitment to the community and state will serve as a proud example for others in the years to come.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Bill Bradley for his service to LaGrange County, Indiana. Residents of LaGrange County owe Bill a debt of gratitude for his role in making the region a better place to live and do business. The LaGrange County EDC works to attract new investment to, and strengthen local business in, the county. They do so quite successfully. LaGrange County's unemployment rate is roughly half that of the national average, and future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 47.4 percent, considerably higher than the U.S. average of 33.5 percent. At the helm of the LaGrange County EDC for the last three years has been Bill, a stalwart champion of business in northern Indiana for nearly three decades. He also led the Jay County Development Corporation; helped in the creation of the New Allen Alliance, the Adams County Economic Development Corporation, and the Economic Development Corporation of Elkhart County; and served the Logansport- Cass County Economic Development Foundation and the Wabash Economic Development Corporation. Additionally, he has served as a board member of the Indiana Economic Development Association, several workforce developments boards, and has been an active Rotarian most of his career. His career is remarkable, and our region is more prosperous because of him. As Bill prepares to retire, let this document serve as a testament to Bill and his life's work, for which LaGrange County, and the whole of northeast Indiana, is grateful.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Norvin D. McClure of Fort Wayne. Our Nation owes Norvin a tremendous debt of gratitude for his service to our country in the United States Army during World War II. Serving in an Engineer Combat Battalion in the European Theatre, his sacrifices were critical to the defense of our homeland, of Europe and to the security and prosperity of millions. Most notably, Norvin's service earned him the French Legion of Honor award, the highest distinction awarded by France. Established by Napoleon in 1804, the Legion of Honor, known as Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur, is awarded only to the most exceptional of soldiers who served in defense of the French Republic. As a combat engineer, Norvin was charged with one of the most perilous tasks of any soldier during the war: removing mines and booby traps left behind by a retreating fanatical Wehrmacht. But for Norvin and his heroic actions, many more Americans would have been killed and the Allied advance across Western Europe would have been even more difficult and deadly than it was. Norvin's unit continued into Germany, and then Austria, where it remained involved in combat operations until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. Norvin returned to Indiana, raised five children with his wife, Maryann, and became a Locomotive Engineer, a job he had for 44 years. I'm proud to extend my regards to him. On behalf of Congress, let me say: we hope Norvin's heart is filled with joy knowing he has experienced our country's greatest blessings, including the affection of family, friends, and a grateful Nation, over a long and well-lived life. May God Bless Norvin, and may God Bless the United States.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, 3 months ago, for the first time in the history of Congress, Speaker Pelosi vetoed Jim Jordan and me from serving on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Not all firsts are worth celebrating. It was a shameful and divisive decision with real consequences. Today, because of that decision, there is no committee conducting a legitimate investigation into January 6. Congress is prohibited from conducting criminal investigations, period. But that is exactly what the select committee is doing, conducting an illicit, criminal investigation into American citizens. Steve Bannon was a private citizen before, after, and during January 6. So why is the select committee interested in Steve Bannon? It is simple. He is a Democratic Party bogeyman. The select committee despises Steve Bannon's politics, so they are abusing their power to put him in jail. The committee explained it is seeking documents from Mr. Bannon because he helped ``construct and participated in'' the permitted and legal Stop the Steal rally. To date, the select committee has subpoenaed 11 other private citizens for organizing the Stop the Steal rally. Here, in the land of the free, 12 American citizens are under congressional investigation for the sole crime of planning a legal political protest. Never in the history of Congress has a committee or a political party stooped so low. Congress has no authority to conduct criminal investigations. Congress can only issue subpoenas to serve a legislative purpose. The question that the committee must answer is: Why are they seeking information about a permitted political rally? What legislative purpose does that serve? Is the committee considering laws to limit Americans' right to political protest? It is clear that the select committee doesn't give a lick about Congress' subpoena authority. Does the committee share the same disdain for the First Amendment? I wouldn't put it past them. As we all know, the Department of Justice has a highly active criminal investigation into the January 6 attack. They have made something like 600 arrests--as I said, very active, even hyperactive, compared to the Biden Department of Justice's typical reaction to political violence. But the Department of Justice's investigation isn't comprehensive. There are still questions that only Congress can answer. Congress still has a role to play, but the select committee has completely abandoned that role. Why else does the select committee want to hear from Mr. Bannon? Because on January 5, Mr. Bannon warned that ``all hell was going to break loose tomorrow.'' So according to the select committee, no person could have predicted that violence might occur that day. According to the committee, that because Mr. Bannon warned of violence on the 5th is proof that Mr. Bannon had ``foreknowledge'' of the attack on the 6th. Never mind that the FBI found that the attack wasn't coordinated. Never mind that the Capitol Police received actionable intelligence about potential violence occurring weeks before the 6th. Never mind that every Member of Congress, every single D.C. resident, and every American with internet access knew that violence was a possibility on January 6. The question the committee should be asking is this: How did the United States Capitol Police, the D.C. Metropolitan Police, and the FBI all have no clue that ``all hell was going to break loose?'' Steve Bannon, a private citizen, knew. So why didn't the Capitol Police have enough riot shields? Why did it take multiple hours to deploy the National Guard? These are worthwhile questions, and Congress has a duty to answer them because January 6 was an enormous intelligence failure. There was a breakdown in security, a breakdown that was repeated on Good Friday when Officer Billy Evans was brutally murdered. The issues that plagued the Capitol Police on January 6 have not been fixed. In fact, according to a Capitol Police whistleblower, the officers most responsible for the intelligence failure on the 6th were promoted by Speaker Pelosi's team. To be clear, the select committee is engaged in an unconstitutional, political investigation. It is a sham investigation conducted by a sham committee that refuses to answer real questions about what happened on January 6. The Capitol was attacked, and instead of figuring out what went wrong, the committee launched its own attack on Congress' norms. The Select Committee's politicization of January 6 cuts both ways. The committee's inaction has made the Capitol less secure, and the committee's actions have further separated Congress from its constitutional role. The American people and the United States Capitol Police deserve a real investigation into the 6th, and the select committee has abandoned them. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to make the moral vote. Do the right thing. I urge Members to vote for the rule of law, for the institution of Congress, and against the select committee's dangerous abuse of Congress' oversight authority. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, no one has said that the select committee doesn't have a legislative purpose. Let's be very clear. There is important work that, frankly, we wish they were doing; like answering, why was this campus left unprotected? And what are we doing to keep it from happening again? That hasn't happened yet. What we are saying is that the subpoenas that have so far been issued do not ask for information that would meet any legitimate legislative purpose. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from the great State of Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis).

Mr. BANKS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, you don't have to look far to realize the absurdity of what is happening in Congress today. In fact, Politico just reported moments ago that the Capitol Police whistleblower is telling us-- telling Politico--that they have not been contacted by the January 6 select committee. The Capitol Police whistleblower said that the United States Capitol Police deserves more scrutiny than it has gotten so far and that he would talk to investigators if they reach out to him. And the select committee has not reached out to the Capitol Police whistleblower. Yet, here we are today focused on holding a private citizen in contempt, an unprecedented action by this sham committee and their sham investigation. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to my colleague from Florida (Mr. Gaetz).

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan).

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BANKS

Mr. BANKS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mr. Norvan D. McClure of Fort Wayne. Our Nation owes Norvan a tremendous debt of gratitude for his service to our country in the United States Army during World War II. Serving in an Engineer Combat Battalion in the Europe, his sacrifices were critical to the defense of our homeland, of Europe and to the security and prosperity of millions. Most notably, Norvan's service earned him the French Legion of Honour award, the highest distinction awarded by France. Established by Napoleon in 1804, the Legion of Honour known as Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur, is awarded only to the most exceptional of soldiers served in defense of the French Republic. As a combat engineer, Norvan was charged with most perilous tasks of any soldier during the war: removing mines and booby traps left behind by a retreating fanatical Wehrmacht. But for Norvan and his heroic actions, many more America have been killed and the Allied advance across Western Europe would been even more difficult and deadly than it was. Norvan's unit continued into Germany, and then Austria, where it remained involved in combat operations until the end of the war in Europe in May 1945. Norvan returned to Indiana. raised five children with his wife, Maryann, and became a Locomotive Engineer, a job he had for 44 years. I'm proud to honor him. On behalf of Congress, let me say: We hope Norvan's heart is filled with joy knowing he has experienced our country's blessings, including the affection of family, friends, and a grateful Nation, over a long and well-lived life. May God Bless Norvan, and may God Bless the United States.