McConnell decides commission aiming to stop future Capitol attacks isn't necessary

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday came out against the creation of a bipartisan commission to probe the violent and deadly insurrection that a mob of Donald Trump supporters waged on Jan. 6, saying he didn’t feel it was necessary.

In a speech on the Senate floor Wednesday morning, McConnell said:

Federal law enforcement have made at least 445 arrests and counting related to crimes committed that day, hundreds of those people have been charged, law enforcement investigations are ongoing and federal authorities say they expect to arrest at least 100 or so more. Bipartisan investigations are also underway and have been for months at the committee level here at the Senate. So there is, has been, and will continue to be no shortage of robust investigations by two separate branches of the federal government.

McConnell went on to accuse Democrats of creating a “slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January the 6th.”

However, McConnell’s accusation is false. The framework of the commission was drafted by a bipartisan duo of House lawmakers — Reps. Bennie Thomson (D-MS) and John Katko (R-NY).

The commission would include 10 members appointed equally by Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress.

The plan for the commission’s framework closely mirrors that of the 9/11 Commission, which was tasked with looking into how the United States was not prepared for the terrorist attack on American soil.

While the FBI is arresting those involved in the insurrection, their efforts will not produce a comprehensive report about how the attack was incited or how events like this can be prevented in the future.

That’s exactly what the commission seeks to do.

According to a text of the legislation that would create the commission, its goals would be, “To investigate and report to the President and Congress on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations for corrective measures that may include changes in law, policy, procedures, rules, or regulations that could be taken to prevent future acts of targeted violence and domestic terrorism, including to prevent domestic terrorist attacks against American democratic institutions.”

McConnell’s opposition to the commission came the morning after Trump himself came out against the probe, calling it a “Democrat trap.”

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who supports the creation of a commission, said Republicans are worried that the findings of the report could implicate some GOP lawmakers.

“I think that that kind of intense, narrow focus threatens people in my party who may have been playing a role they should not have been playing,” Cheney said May 13.

The report would come out by the end of the year — when midterm election season will kick into gear.

McConnell’s opposition dims the odds that an independent commission will be formed.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy already came out Tuesday morning against creating the commission.

The House is set to vote on the legislation creating the commission on Wednesday.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he will also put the legislation on the floor, though it’s unclear when.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.