WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday that lawmakers will establish an external, independent commission to review the “facts and causes” related to the January 6 deadly attack on the United States Capitol by supporters of then President Donald Trump.
Pelosi said in a letter to lawmakers that the commission would follow the model of a similar commission convened after the September 11, 2001 attack on New York and the Pentagon. Pelosi said the panel will also look at “facts and causes related to the preparation and response of the United States Capitol Police and other federal, state and local authorities”.
She instructed retired US Army Lieutenant General Russel Honoré to assess the Capitol’s security needs after the attack. Based on her provisional findings, she said that Congress should allocate additional funds “to ensure the safety of members and the Capitol.”
She added: “It is clear from her findings and the impeachment trial that we must come to the truth about how this happened.”
More than a month after the attack that left five dead while pro-Trump supporters invaded the U.S. Capitol and attempted to interrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s victory as president, the Capitol complex remains guarded by more than 5,000 National Guard soldiers and surrounded for eight foot fences with barbed wire. The troops are expected to remain until mid-March.
Last month, the head of the US Capitol Police urged lawmakers to add permanent fences and backup security, noting that a 2006 security assessment recommended the installation of a permanent perimeter fence around the Capitol.
Many lawmakers and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser have urged Congressional leaders not to adopt permanent fences or permanent military security.
More than 200 people were charged with federal crimes in the bloody attack on Congress, which led to Trump’s impeachment trial for inciting insurrection. Trump was acquitted on Saturday in a 57-43 vote, when seven Republican senators joined the Democrats in favor of the conviction, albeit without a necessary majority.
Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Richard Chang and Dan Grebler