Pelosi Announces Jan. 6 Panel

House speaker abandons notion that three GOP votes will switch to approve independent commission
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 24, 2021 3:44 PM CDT
Democrats Plan Jan. 6 Panel
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks to reporters Thursday in the Capitol about a special committee she's forming to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the building.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

After giving up on winning three more Republican votes for an independent commission, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that a special congressional committee will investigate the attack on the Capitol. "We gave it so much time," Pelosi told reporters. "Maybe someday." She gave no details on the members or leaders of the committee, the Hill reports. But Pelosi said the panel will have as long as it needs to look into the Jan. 6 attack. She also wants the panel to investigate "the root causes, the white supremacy, the antisemitism, the Islamophobia" behind the insurrection. The committee will also assess Capitol security, per Yahoo News. "Many questions regarding the circumstances of this assault on our democracy, and the response to it, remain," she said.

The committee might end up consisting only of House Democrats. Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy opposes forming the committee, but Pelosi said she hopes he'll nonetheless appoint members. Republicans in the Senate had blocked setting up an independent commission for the investigation last month, a Democratic effort that fell three GOP votes short. Republicans backed the idea at first but are concerned about the midterm congressional elections and displeasing former President Trump. "It's clear the Republicans are afraid of the truth," the speaker said. (Pelosi laid out the options after GOP senators stopped the proposal for an independent commission.)

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