The House voted to create a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol despite opposition from GOP leaders who say it could be used as a political weapon ahead of the critical 2022 elections.
The measure, which passed 252-175 with substantial GOP support, calls for a 10-member panel appointed evenly by Republicans and Democrats, who would also share the power to issue subpoenas.
The commission would be tasked with examining the causes and responses to the event, which left several people dead and caused damage to the historic Capitol after hundreds of angry pro-Trump protesters were able to push past security and gain entry into the building.
While some of the protesters wandered around the building, others smashed doors and windows in angry pursuit of lawmakers who that day were voting to certify President Joe Biden’s election victory.
“It has been 133 days since an angry mob of insurrectionists tried to stop the certification of a from a free and fair election in America,” Rep. Jim McGovern, of Massachusetts, said as he introduced the measure Wednesday. “The question before us today is this: What are we going to do about it?”
Top Republicans reject the commission despite the appearance of bipartisanship in part because they do not trust Democrats who could use it to hurt the GOP politically by further tying the party to the violent riot. Republicans called for broadening the scope to include other incidents of civil unrest around the nation as well as other acts of violence at the Capitol.
Other Republicans supported the bill, agreeing it should be limited in scope to the events of Jan. 6.
The measure was drafted in part by New York Rep. John Katko, the top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee. Katko was among 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in January on the charge he incited the riot.
The commission, Katko said Wednesday, was crafted in such a way “that it would be depoliticized entirely.”
“This commission was built to work,” Katko said.
But many GOP lawmakers questioned the purpose of the commission and suspected Democrats would employ it to damage the GOP as the critical 2022 midterm elections near.
“The media is going to use this to smear Trump supporters,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Wednesday he’ll oppose the measure when it makes its way across the Capitol.
The Kentucky Republican called the proposal to create a commission “slanted and unbalanced” and said Senate committee investigations in addition to Justice Department prosecutions are sufficient.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other top GOP leaders urged House Republicans to reject the commission.
The commission’s future is uncertain in the Senate.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pledged to take up the bill no matter the GOP criticism, daring Republicans to vote against it. Schumer and other top Democrats insisted the commission was not political.
Democrats, however, are working to tie the GOP vote on the commission to Trump’s latest statements claiming the 2020 election was a “big lie” due to irregularities that benefited Biden.
“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,” Schumer said Wednesday.
A key Senate Republican said the measure will require modification to win her support.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine centrist who voted to convict Trump on the impeachment charge, said the commission must be modeled after the bipartisan panel formed to investigate the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The House measure does not meet those standards and requires some changes, Collins said.
“It’s my understanding that the House bill would have the [Democratic] chairman choose all of the staff members, and that’s not right,” Collins said.
