WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 06: Protesters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump break into the U.S. Capitol on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building during demonstrations in the nation's capital. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
House voted Wednesday to pass legislation for an independent commission to probe the riot on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol with the support of 35 Republicans.
The bill passed House in a vote of 252 yeas to 175 nays, sending the bill to the Senate.
Hours before the House passed the bill, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) told reporters he opposes the bill. However, McConnell also revealed that he wouldn’t actively lobby the Republicans to oppose the bill.
“After careful consideration, I’ve made the decision to oppose the House Democrats’ slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of Jan. 6,” McConnell told reporters on the Senate floor.
Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!
A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said he will make sure the Senate will vote in the coming weeks so as to force Republicans to choose.
“An independent commission can be the antidote to the poisonous mistruths that continue to spread about Jan. 6, and that is what our founding fathers believed in,” he said. “The American people will see for themselves whether our Republican friends stand on the side of truth or on the side of Donald Trump’s big lie.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters Wednesday that she will need to see some changes to the bill before she could support it.
If the bill is passed, the 10-person committee -– similar to the commission that investigated the 9/11 terrorist attack – would take a probe on the Capitol riot and deliver findings by Dec. 31.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) is facing criticism for comments made in a meeting with members…
Karine Jean-Pierre, former White House press secretary during Joe Biden's term in office, announced that…
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-New York) announced plans to build a nuclear power plant in upstate…
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a former top deputy for President Donald Trump, called the Republican…
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of South Carolina's decision to stop covering Planned Parenthood's…
A federal judge ruled on June 24 that the Trump administration cannot eliminate union bargaining…