US House approves select committee to investigate January 6 Capitol attack
- ‘That day, January 6, was one of the darkest days in American history,’ said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
- Only two Republicans joined all Democrats in the 222-190 vote to create the House select committee
The US House of Representatives has narrowly passed a Democratic bill on Wednesday creating a 13-member committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the Capitol, with Republicans dismissing the inquiry as an exercise in partisan politics.
“That day, January 6, was one of the darkest days in American history,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the vote. The mob sought “to block the certification of an election and the peaceful transfer of power that is the cornerstone of our democracy.”
Only two Republicans joined all Democrats in the 222-190 vote to create the House select committee, which does not require assent of the Senate or the signature of the president to begin its investigation.
In May, 35 House Republicans voted in favour of an independent bipartisan commission to investigate the causes of the insurrection by a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters as Congress was certifying the electoral count from the presidential election. But Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell led a successful Republican effort to block the commission legislation.
Among the Republicans who backed the select committee was Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, who voted in January to impeach Trump for his role in stoking the mob and in favour of creating the independent commission.
“It is right to be wary of an overtly partisan inquiry,” Cheney said in a statement before the vote. “But Congress is obligated to conduct a full investigation of the most serious attack on our Capitol since 1814. Our nation, and the families of the brave law enforcement officers who were injured defending us or died following the attack, deserve answers. I believe this select committee is our only remaining option.”
Other House Republicans said Democrats are trying to lay blame on Trump and said the focus should be on the failure of security forces to anticipate and stop the attack.
Republican Representative Michael Burgess of Texas said before the vote that Democrats have already arrived at their findings and are “fixated” on Trump.
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“The Democrats have already been publicly excoriating President Trump for months,” he said. “They claim we need to understand the root cause of what happened on January 6. But the truth is they’ve already laid the blame.”
Republican Representative Beth Van Duyne of Texas, called the panel “Pelosi’s puppet committee,” citing the authority it gives the speaker over the appointment of Republican as well as Democratic members.
“The speaker’s obsession with dominating this committee is concerning,” she said.
Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has not said whether Republicans would participate by making appointments to the committee.
The bill provides no deadline for the committee to complete its work, which could extend into 2022, an election year in which control of the House and Senate will be decided.
Pelosi gets to choose the panel’s chairman, who would have the power to issue subpoenas, requiring only consultation with the senior Republican member. Pelosi also would appoint all the other lawmaker members of the panel, though five of whom would be picked “after consultation with the minority leader.” Her office has said she is considering choosing a Republican among her picks.
“It will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the attack. It will report on conclusions and recommendations for preventing any future assault. And it will find the truth,” Pelosi said in a letter on Wednesday morning to House Democrats.
Republicans including McConnell, have argued there are already multiple House and Senate committee investigations under way. Some had also objected to what they described as the limited jurisdiction and scope of the commission that would not permit it to look into other events such as last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests.
Pelosi’s office declined to say before the vote how soon after she might make appointments to the panel. Among lawmakers being mentioned as her choice for potential chairman is Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.
One Republican who has drawn speculation as someone Pelosi might seek to appoint to the panel is Cheney, whose criticism of Trump led to her falling out of favour with many colleagues, who removed her from her No 3 House leadership job in May.
Cheney has not ruled out accepting such an appointment from Pelosi, saying it’s up to the speaker.
Under the bill, the committee also will scrutinise the security preparations for the day and the response of US Capitol Police as well as federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Another focus is to be what the bill calls “influencing factors that fomented such an attack on American representative democracy while engaged in a constitutional process,” a reference to the disruption of certifying presidential Electoral College votes.
Sitting in the chamber’s gallery at Pelosi’s invitation for Wednesday’s vote were members of the Capitol Police and Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police departments. Included were Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone, who was injured on January 6. Also invited were Gladys Sicknick, the mother of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was injured during the riot and died of a stroke a day later, and her deceased son’s partner.
