McConnell Says He Will Oppose ‘Slanted,’ ‘Unbalanced’ January 6 Commission

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced Wednesday that he opposes the current form of a January 6 commission. 

According to Politico, the Republican senator had seemed to show earlier in the week that he had not decided whether or not he would support the commission, but according to a source, he told a group of Republicans Wednesday morning about his decision. 

On the floor of the Senate, he made the announcement.

“After careful consideration. I’ve made the decision to oppose the House Democrats’ slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January the 6th,” McConnell said.

“It’s not at all clear what new facts or additional investigation yet another commission could lay on top of the existing efforts by law enforcement and Congress,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said that the Senate will still vote on the bill for the January 6 commission. It requires 10 Senate Republicans to vote in favor of it in order to pass, as reported by Politico. 

“The American people will see for themselves whether our Republican friends stand on the side of the truth or on the side of Donald Trump’s big lie,” Schumer said Wednesday.

The move comes after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced his opposition to the commission on Tuesday. 

“Unfortunately, the legislation being considered in the House this week is drafted in such a way that could interfere with and ultimately undermine these ongoing prosecutorial efforts — just one byproduct of a process that circumvents committee markup and is expected to come to the House floor under a closed rule,” McCarthy said in a statement.

McCarthy added, “the renewed focus by Democrats to now stand up an additional commission ignores the political violence that has struck American cities, a Republican congressional baseball practice, and, most recently, the deadly attack on Capitol Police on April 2, 2021. The presence of this political violence in American society cannot be tolerated and it cannot be overlooked. I have communicated this to our Democrat colleagues for months and its omission is deeply concerning. 

“Given the political misdirections that have marred this process, given the now duplicative and potentially counterproductive nature of this effort, and given the Speaker’s shortsighted scope that does not examine interrelated forms of political violence in America, I cannot support this legislation.”

House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Representative John Katko (R-NY) reached an agreement on the commission last week after a lengthy process. The House of Representatives is set to hold a vote on its formation this week, but opposition from top leaders in the House and Senate might make its passage more difficult. 

As reported by The Daily Wire: 

On January 6, a pro-Trump mob swarmed the Capitol as lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence were just beginning to tabulate the 2020 Electoral College vote. Biden defeated then-President Donald Trump by a 306-232 vote in the college.

“House Democratic leadership has scheduled votes on two bills stemming from the Capitol attack,” The Hill reported. “The top Democrat and Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee reached an agreement late last week on legislation to establish a bipartisan 9/11-style commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.”

The Homeland Committee on Friday agreed to form a 10-member commission — five Republicans and five Democrats — to probe the events. But House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California said that day that he hadn’t yet seen the agreement.

Meanwhile, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who last week was ousted from her No. 3 position in House GOP leadership, said McCarthy should appear before any commission. “He absolutely should and I wouldn’t be surprised if he were subpoenaed,” Cheney told ABC News’s “This Week.”

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