Speaker Pelosi said that Democrats agreed to every single one of Kevin McCarthy‘s requests, but he still refuses to support the 1/6 Commission.
Speaker Pelosi said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:
On Wednesday, the House will vote on the National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act. This commission is modeled after the 9/11 Commission to seek the truth of what happened on January 6th. I commend Chairman Bennie Thompson and Ranking Member John Katko for their steadfast leadership in securing a bipartisan agreement. It is important to note that the legislation to create the 9/11 Commission took more than 14 months to enact.
Democrats made repeated efforts to seek a bipartisan compromise. But Leader McCarthy won’t take yes for an answer. In his February 22 letter, he made three requests to be addressed in Democrats’ discussion draft. Every single one was granted by Democrats, yet he still says no.
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The American people expect and deserve the truth about what happened on January 6th in a manner that strengthens our Democracy and ensures that January 6th never happens again.
There are three reasons why McCarthy won’t agree to the 1/6 Commission. House Republicans do not want the potential role of their own members in the attack to be revealed. Rep. McCarthy (R-CA) is also trying to protect Trump from having his role revealed, and McCarthy is also protecting himself because if there is a commission, he will have to testify about his conversations with Donald Trump during and after the attack.
Liz Cheney has called on the Commission to subpoena McCarthy,, and there are whispers that are growing louder about McCarthy and Trump engaging in witness tampering after the attack.
Bipartisan support for the commission would lend credibility to the process, but if Republicans don’t go along, Democrats need to announce the commission and go it alone.
The truth is more important than looking bipartisan, and Republicans, if left to their own devices, will do their best to bury the truth about January 6.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
