House to Vote on Bill Launching 1/6 Committee

The House of Representatives will soon vote on a bill that will launch a committee empowered with investigating the events of January 6, the day a mob of former President Donald Trump‘s supporters led an insurrection against Congress in a bid to overturn the results of the 2020 general election.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called January 6 “one of the darkest days in our nation’s history”.

“The select committee will investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the attack and report recommendations for preventing any future assault,” she said.

The committee will have eight members appointed by Pelosi and five appointed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) following a “consultation.”

Earlier, Pelosi confirmed that she has the authority to veto any of McCarthy’s picks, though she stopped short of confirming whether she will allow any Republican who voted not to certify President Joe Biden‘s Electoral College win on the panel.

“We’ll see who they nominate,” she told CNN.

Earlier this month, Senate Republicans blocked legislation that would have created a bipartisan committee to investigate the attack and taken the probe outside the halls of Congress.

The Senate voted 54-35  to advance the measure, but it fell short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a GOP filibuster, which would have blocked debate on the bill. The House had earlier approved the commission; 35 Republicans voted for it.

Alan Ryland

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