Pelosi Slams Republicans for Response to Capitol Insurrection

Last updated on March 18th, 2021 at 10:08 am

In an interview on MSNBC‘s “Morning Joe,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) criticized Republicans for their response to the storming of the United States Capitol, saying there have been disagreements over how an investigation into the event would proceed.

Video of Speaker Pelosi:

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

“They want to treat something like Black Lives Matter, or peaceful demonstrations in a similar manner, as they would do January 6,” Pelosi said.  “So, the main problem is the scope of the investigation.”

“Now we can pass a bill, but that’s not the point. We want it to be bipartisan, and it cannot be bipartisan if the scope of it is to not draw any conclusion about what happened that day as the premise for how we would go forward and investigate it,” she continued. “But we must investigate it, and we must get the truth for the American people.”

Pelosi has urged the creation of a 9/11-style commission to investigate the attack, which took place after a mob of former President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 general election at Trump’s behest. Her plan has faced significant opposition from the Republican Party at a time when partisanship in Congress is so high.

The House can authorize the creation of a commission with only Democratic votes. However, the Senate would need to draw in some GOP support to overcome the filibuster.

Last week, Pelosi said the day of the attack––which claimed the lives of people, including a Capitol Police officer who later died of his injuries––was one of the more difficult days in her career.’

“It was a very difficult moment for us in the Capitol and those who care about our democracy … that people would descend on the Capitol, incite insurrection to overturn the process,” Pelosi said during a virtual fundraiser on International Women’s Day. “That people would use violence upon the Capitol, even out to kill, really members of Congress and the vice president of the United States was just so very hard.”

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.