House OKs Jan. 6 commission, setting up Senate fight
House OKs Jan. 6 commission, setting up Senate fight
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to approve the creation of an independent commission to investigate the deadly Jan.
6 attack on the Capitol by hundreds of supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
This report produced by Chris Dignam.
House OKs Jan. 6 commission, setting up Senate fight
U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI: "...the American people want us to find the truth." The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill to form a commission to investigate the deadly Jan.
6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump, setting up a fight in the Senate, where the chamber's top Republican Mitch McConnell, who said in February that Trump was "practically and morally responsible" for the attack... MCCONNELL ON FEB.
13, 2021: "...disgraceful..." ...said on Wednesday that he would oppose the measure.
MCCONNELL: "I have made the decision to oppose the House Democrats' slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of Jan.
6." Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
SCHUMER: "...we’ll see where our Republican friends stand, if they stand with truth or they stand with the 'Big Lie' and sweeping truth under the rug, which is so un-American." In a statement released Tuesday, Trump, who now also faces a criminal investigation of his family business in New York, urged McConnell and House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy specifically to vote against the proposal, calling it a "Democrat trap" and demanded the commission also investigate last summer's George Floyd protests, events unrelated to the insurrection at the Capitol.
McCarthy, who spoke with Trump by telephone on Jan.
6 and announced his opposition to the commission on Tuesday, could also be a key witness for the commission if it were to go ahead.
At least 60 votes would be needed to advance the proposal in the evenly split Senate.
According to media reports, at least two Republican senators - Lisa Murkowski and Mitt Romney - have signaled support for the commission, which could call the former president as a witness to explain his actions including his false claims that last year's presidential election was stolen from him.