WASHINGTON – Congress will move to establish an independent commission to investigate the attack on the Capitol on January 6, including facts “related to interference with the peaceful transfer of power,” California spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi announced on Monday.
In a letter to her Democratic colleagues in the House, Ms. Pelosi also promised to move forward in the coming weeks with emergency funding legislation “for the safety of members and the security of the Capitol” after consulting retired general Russel L. Honoré, the whom she had asked to examine security on Capitol Hill.
“Security is the order of the day: the security of our country, the security of our Capitol, which is the temple of our democracy, and the security of our members,” wrote Ms. Pelosi in the letter, adding that it was so clear General Honoré’s conclusions as to “the impeachment trial that we must find out the truth about how it happened”.
Calls for an independent bipartisan investigation into law enforcement and administrative failures grew that led to the first violation of the Capitol complex in two centuries, especially after the Senate acquitted former President Donald J. Trump in his impeachment trial under the accusation of inciting rioters. For some lawmakers, this commission offers the last great opportunity to hold Trump accountable.
“There is even more evidence that the American people need and deserve to hear,” Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware, said over the weekend on ABC’s “This Week” program, adding that a commission “would ensure that Capitol goes ahead. and that we made it clear how responsible ”Mr. Trump was for the attack.
The establishment of such a commission would likely require legislation if it had the model of the 9/11 Commission, which embarked on a 20-month investigation after President George W. Bush signed a law requiring the panel to investigate what caused the 11 attacks. September and how to avoid a similar attack. The commission ended up offering recommendations that led to the reformulation of Congressional oversight and intelligence coordination.
Ms. Pelosi said the panel would be designated to “investigate and report the facts and causes related to the January 6, 2021 domestic terrorist attack on the United States Capitol complex”, as well as “interference with the peaceful transfer of power. “
A group of House Republicans wrote to Pelosi on Monday complaining that she had summoned General Honoré without information from her party and demanded that she answer questions about what she knew and what guidelines she gave before the January 6 attack. Republicans have already opposed Pelosi’s decision to install magnetometers outside the Chamber’s chamber in response to concerns by some lawmakers about bringing firearms to the floor of the chamber.
“It is easy to understand why we and our Senate counterparts remain skeptical that any of your final recommendations are independent and without your influence,” wrote Republicans, including Representative Rodney Davis of Illinois, the top Republican on the Administration Committee. of the House, and Jim Jordan, of Ohio, the main Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.
Shaken by the January 6 siege, which left many traumatized after hiding in their offices and in the House, lawmakers also asked to use campaign funds to pay for additional security in their districts. An emergency finance account would likely help finance the security of legislators in the districts and also on the Capitol, which remains surrounded by fences and patrolled by National Guard troops.