GOP blocks bipartisan probe of deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at Capitol
Senate Republicans on Friday blocked the creation of a bipartisan panel to study the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol,
Senate Republicans on Friday blocked the creation of a bipartisan panel to study the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, refusing to back down on their opposition to the independent investigation even amid emotional appeals from those who fought with and fled from the rioters that day.
Trump supporters beset a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
The Senate vote was 54-35 — short of the 60 votes needed to consider a House-passed bill that would have formed a 10-member commission evenly split between the two parties. The vote was another sign of GOP fealty to former President Donald Trump and an overtly political effort to shift the focus off of the violent insurrection of his supporters.
Read More: The mob made me do it: Capitol rioters say Trump crowd at fault
Though the Jan. 6 commission bill passed the House earlier this month with the support of almost three dozen Republicans, GOP senators said they believe the commission would eventually be used against them politically. And Trump, who still has a firm hold on the party, has called it a “Democrat trap.”
The Capitol Dome looms behind the Peace Monument statue in Washington, Friday, May 28, 2021, as the Senate tries to finish to its work going into the Memorial Day recess with Republican leaders insisting they will block a commission on the Jan. 6 insurrection by a mob loyal to former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The vote is emblematic of the profound mistrust between the two parties since the siege, especially among Republicans, as some in the party have downplayed the violence and defended the rioters who supported Trump and his false insistence that the election was stolen from him.
Four people died in the riot, and a police officer collapsed and died afterward of what authorities said were natural causes. Two police officers took their own lives in the days after the riots.
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s “Dear Culture” podcast? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. Download theGrio.com today!
The post GOP blocks bipartisan probe of deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at Capitol appeared first on TheGrio.