House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is accusing Republicans of putting “their election concerns” above the country’s security after voting to oppose the establishment of a commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In a statement on Friday, Pelosi noted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) asked Republicans to do him a “personal favor” and vote against the commission.
“In doing so, Mitch McConnell asked them to be complicit in his undermining of the truth of January 6th. In bowing to McConnell’s personal favor request, Republican Senators surrendered to the January 6th mob assault,” Pelosi said.
She continued, “Leader McConnell and Senate Republicans’ denial of the truth of the January 6th insurrection brings shame to the Senate. Republicans’ cowardice in rejecting the truth of that dark day makes our Capitol and our country less safe.”
Pelosi mentioned the mother of fallen U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who said the refusal to establish a January 6th Commission was a “slap in the faces of all the officers who did their jobs that day.”
She explained, “Democrats worked across the aisle, agreeing to everything that Republicans asked for. We did this in the interest of achieving a bipartisan Commission. In not taking yes for an answer, Republicans clearly put their election concerns above the security of the Congress and country.”
The legislation failed to pass on Friday in a 54-35 vote, as IJR reported.
The Republicans who voted in favor of it were Sens. Mitt Romney (Utah), Susan Collins (Maine) Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Ben Sasse (Neb.), Bill Cassidy (La.), and Rob Portman (Ohio).
McConnell said on the Senate floor, “I do not believe the extraneous ‘commission’ that Democratic leaders want would uncover crucial new facts or promote healing. Frankly, I do not believe it is even designed to.”
He added, “That’s why the Speaker’s first draft began with a laughably rigged and partisan starting point, and why the current language would still lock in significant unfairness under the hood.”
Five Americans lost their lives as a result of the riots.
