U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Monday (Feb. 15) that she will establish an “external, independent 9/11-style commission” to investigate the Jan. 6 congressional riots.
In a letter to House members this week, Pelosi said the commission will “investigate and report on the facts and causes related to the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by domestic terrorists …… and those related to interference with the peaceful transfer of power.”
Pelosi made the announcement two days after the U.S. Senate voted to acquit former President Trump of all charges. On Saturday (Feb. 13), the Senate voted 57 to 43 to acquit the former president, with seven Republican senators voting in favor of the conviction.
Pelosi (D-Calif.) wrote Monday that she will move forward with plans for an emergency appropriations law “to keep members safe and the Capitol secure.”
Prominent Senate Democrats such as Sen. Chris Coons have expressed support for a 9/11-style commission to investigate the riots.
The New York Times notes that legislation may be needed to establish an independent commission, as was done in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when President George W. Bush signed a law giving the panel investigative powers.
Several Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Pelosi on Monday expressing their concerns about whether the speaker’s views affect the question of the independent commission’s findings.
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