WASHINGTON (CN) — The House narrowly passed legislation Wednesday that would create a bipartisan congressional commission to study what happened on Jan. 6 and investigate security flaws that led to only the second storming of the U.S. Capitol in American history.
The final tally was 252-175 with 35 Republicans joining all Democrats to pass the legislation.
While initially a bipartisan affair, the legislation quickly garnered pushback from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy who said the commission was duplicative — saying Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s framework didn’t allow for members to examine other forms of political violence.
New York Republican John Katko --- one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump for his role in the insurrection --- hammered out a deal for the commission last week alongside Mississippi Democrat Bennie Thompson.
The legislation faced an uphill battle on Tuesday however, when Republicans presented the commission before the House Rules committee — Katko explaining the commission was about investigating security flaws, not political considerations. Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican who serves as that committee’s ranking member, suggested Congress was moving too quickly to investigate the event.
Republicans have lacked consensus in recent weeks. The House’s Republican Caucus voted to oust Wyoming Republican Liz Cheney after she voiced opposition to Trump’s assertion the 2020 election had been fraudulent. Cheney suggested McCarthy be subpoenaed by an eventual Jan. 6 commission, based on his alleged conversation with Trump that day.
Despite opposition and party infighting across the aisle, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the legislation would receive a Senate vote. He criticized Republicans for doing an about face on the legislation after negotiating for fair parameters and membership — adding the party was caving to Trump and beholden to the big lie the 2020 election was stolen.
“An independent commission can be the antidote to the poisonous mistruths that continue to spread about January 6,” Schumer said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled his opposition to the “slanted” and “unbalanced" commission Wednesday, saying examination of the attack was already going on in various congressional committees.
“So, there is, has been and there will continue to be no shortage of robust investigation by two separate branches of the federal government,” McConnell said. “So, Mr. President it’s not clear what new facts or additional information what yet another commission could actually law on top of existing efforts by law enforcement and Congress.”
House debate Wednesday on the legislation was not particularly contentious. Although Oklahoma Republican Tom Cole lamented Republican inability to offer amendments or input into the legislation, he also commended Katko and Thompson’s bipartisan effort to form the legislation.
Massachusetts Democrat Jim McGovern agreed with Cole about the pair’s involvement in drafting bipartisan legislation.
“They negotiated a truly bipartisan deal,” McGovern said. “I’ve taken note of the letter that Minority Leader McCarthy sent to Speaker Pelosi of all the things that he wanted in this deal, he got virtually every one of them, all in this bipartisan deal. And now all of a sudden it’s not good enough.”
He added: “Don’t talk about bipartisanship and then when you get it, you turn your back on it.”
New York Democrat Adriano Espaillat said Wednesday protecting the Capitol and securing American democracy wasn’t a partisan issue — however Republicans had turned the issue into a sideshow or a circus.
“I submit to you that the attempted murder of the vice president, that the attempted murder of our speaker, the attempted murder of any one of us is not a sideshow or circus,” he said. “It is a real threat to everyone across this great land.”