On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to create an independent and bipartisan commission to investigate the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has long called for a 9/11 Commission-style investigation into the Capitol riot, and 35 Republicans joined Democrats in approving the probe.
The House passed the resolution, 252-175. Last week, the top Democrat and the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee struck a deal on the commission.
Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and John Katko (R-N.Y.) announced the deal last Friday. The commission would include a 10-member panel, with five panelists appointed by Democrats and five appointed by Republicans. Democrats would appoint the chair of the panel and Republicans the vice-chair. The panel would have the power to issue subpoenas if both the chair and the vice chair sign off on them. The commission would issue a final report by the end of 2021.
Supporters of the commission will need at least ten Republicans in the Senate to join all 50 Democrats in order to overcome the 60-vote filibuster and pass the bill. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), like Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), has announced his opposition to the commission.
Congress has many options to investigate the Capitol riot, but adopting the 9/11 Commission-style probe sends a chilling message. Back in February, Pelosi made the connection explicit: “To protect our security, our security, our security, our next step will be to establish an outside, independent 9/11-type Commission to ‘investigate and report on the facts and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex…” – READ MORE
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