House Democrats Move Ahead On Creating A Commission To Investigate Capitol Insurrection

Democrats and Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee agreed on Friday to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. The commission would include five members from each party, all of whom would have expertise in law enforcement and national security.

Though some GOP leaders have lobbied for an investigation of other instances of political violence as well, the commission will only focus on the Jan. 6 riot.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) emphasized in a statement the importance of this move: “It is imperative that we seek the truth of what happened on January 6 with an independent, bipartisan 9/11-type Commission to examine and report upon the facts, causes and security relating to the terrorist mob attack.”

“Today a bipartisan agreement to form such a commission has been reached, with legislation to create it set to reach the Floor as soon as next week,” she said.

Others seem less enthusiastic – namely Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who told reporters on Friday that he has not signed off on the bill nor read through it. McCarthy stated, “We had an officer killed on Good Friday. If this commission is going to come forth to tell us how to protect this facility in the future you want to make sure that the scope — that you can look at all that.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has also spoken out against the commission, saying “the scope of it needs to deal with a little bit broader than just January the 6th. We’ve also had a number of violent disturbances around the country last year and I think we ought to look at this in a broader scope and with a totally balanced 9/11 style commission.”

The bill calls for an investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks as well as “the interference with the peaceful transfer of power, including facts and causes relating to the preparedness and response of the United States Capitol Police… as well as the influencing factors that fomented such attack on American representative democracy.”

House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and ranking member John Katko (R-New York) issued a joint statement about the potential commission: “There has been a growing consensus that the January 6th attack is of a complexity and national significance that what we need [is] an independent commission to investigate.”

Article by Elizabeth Letsou