House GOP leader McCarthy opposes 9/11-style commission on Jan. 6 Capitol riot
A day before the House is expected to vote on bipartisan legislation that would form a 9/11-style commission to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has come out against it.
In a statement released Tuesday, the California Republican said that "there are ongoing bipartisan investigations into all facets of the Jan. 6 events," including a review of security vulnerabilities at the U.S. Capitol, and that nearly 500 arrests have already been announced by the Department of Justice.
"The renewed focus by Democrats to now stand up an additional commission ignores the political violence that has struck American cities, a Republican congressional baseball practice and, most recently, the deadly attack on Capitol Police on April 2, 2021," McCarthy said. "The presence of this political violence in American society cannot be tolerated and it cannot be overlooked. I have communicated this to our Democrat colleagues for months, and its omission is deeply concerning."
Last week, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., announced that they will introduce legislation to form an “independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 domestic terrorism attack on the United States Capitol and recommend changes to further protect the Capitol, citadel of our democracy.” The House is expected to take up the bill Wednesday.
[Can a 9/11-style probe provide answers about the Capitol riot?]
McCarthy himself could be a subject of the investigation, given that he reportedly called then-President Donald Trump during the siege and pleaded with him to call off his supporters who had breached the Capitol.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R- Wyo., who was removed from her House GOP leadership position for her criticism of Trump's false claims about the election and the Capitol riot, said on ABC's "This Week" that she "wouldn't be surprised" if McCarthy is subpoenaed by a Jan. 6 commission.
"I think he very clearly and said publicly that he’s got information about the president’s state of mind that day," Cheney said.
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