Republican leader of the U.S. House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy said Tuesday (May 18) that he opposes the establishment of a commission of inquiry into the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
House Minority Leader Rep. McCarthy of California said he opposes a new investigation into the congressional riots, in part because he believes any investigation should also address other political violence in the United States over the past few years.
Last week, a group of lawmakers from both the Democratic and Republican parties reached a consensus on the organization and scope of the commission’s investigation. The commission will investigate why and how the rebellion occurred. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the Democratic majority in the House, appears to have enough votes to approve the commission on Wednesday, though it is not a foregone conclusion that the bill will pass in the Senate, which is evenly divided between the two parties.
McCarthy said congressional committees are already investigating the events of Jan. 6.
McCarthy, the House Republican leader, said the agenda of any committee should include an investigation into other political violence in the United States.
“Democrats’ renewed focus on creating an additional committee today ignores the political violence that has already hit urban America, a Congressional Republican baseball practice and, just recently, the deadly attack on Capitol Police on April 2, 2021,” McCarthy said. “The existence of such political violence in American society cannot be tolerated, nor can it be ignored.”
Last week, one lawmaker described the people entering the Capitol as no different than the tourists who came to visit.
But Trump’s political opponents say they see the storming of Congress as an attack on democracy and hope the commission’s investigation will highlight the former president’s role in fostering violence.
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