U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) answers questions during a congressional news conference on May 19, 2021, about the creation of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 incident.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted late Wednesday (May 19) to establish an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol.
The vote was 252 to 175, with all 217 Democratic House members in favor of the proposal, joined by 35 other Republican House members. The bill will next go to the Senate for a 50-50 vote.
The “Establish a National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol Act,” also known as HR.3233, calls for an investigation in light of the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.
The bill requires Congress to establish a 10-member independent commission to investigate “the facts and circumstances surrounding the attack on the Capitol” and to “assess the causes of and lessons learned from the attack.
The new commission would report its findings and make recommendations to “improve detection, prevention, preparedness, and response to targeted violence and domestic terrorism, and to improve the security posture of the United States Capitol.
The bill would give the committee powers such as the authority to hold hearings, receive evidence and issue subpoenas. It also enables the committee to appoint staff.
The White House expressed support for the legislation Tuesday (18), and a statement issued by the White House said it is also taking action to improve safety and security at the U.S. Capitol.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump (Trump) issued a statement the same day saying Republicans in both houses of Congress “should not agree to the Jan. 6 committee trap set by Democrats” and that the Democrats’ initiative was causing “more partisan inequity “.
Trump added: “Unless (Congress) also investigates the murders, riots and fire bombings in Portland, Minneapolis, Seattle, Chicago and New York, this discussion should end immediately.” He was referring to the far-left ideologically driven riots in cities across the U.S. following the death of George Floyd, a black Minnesotan, during a police arrest last year.
The two highest-ranking Republican leaders in the House – Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) – both oppose the creation of the Jan. 6 committee bill.
McCarthy was the first to formally announce his opposition to the bill. He said the scope of the bill is too narrow and should include other political violence, such as the riots in several cities last year.
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