InsurrectionWhy a Commission Should Investigate the U.S. Capitol Attack
Far too little is known about how the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol happened. A bipartisan investigation should address this, to dispel falsehoods and to help prevent such an assault from happening again.
Far too little is known about how the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol happened. A bipartisan investigation should address this, to dispel falsehoods and to help prevent such an assault from happening again.
Is it necessary for Congress to appoint a commission to investigate the Capitol assault?
Yes. The plethora of unanswered questions about events that day underscores the need for a commission. A commission could determine the degree of planning for the insurrection and orchestration of the violence that occurred that day. At a minimum, it would likely deflate the many conspiracy theories and falsehoods surrounding that day, much as the 9/11 Commission definitively resolved the many conspiracy theories around the passenger jet hijackings and attacks that killed nearly three thousand people.
Similar doubts were raised nineteen years ago about the need for the 9/11 Commission. Then, as now, Republican members of Congress argued that existing committee and subcommittee hearings were sufficient to address the gravity of the 9/11 attacks, and that an independent, bipartisan, congressionally appointed commission was unnecessary. The difference then was the prominent lobbying for a commission by families whose loved ones perished in the attacks. Their powerful voices could not be ignored or discounted. There is no similarly influential, independent, and organized movement pressing for the creation of a January 6 commission.
Is it possible to conduct a bipartisan investigation in the current polarized political climate?
Absolutely. Similar questions were raised about creating the 9/11 Commission. Both Republican members of Congress and the George W. Bush administration were concerned about the emergence of a “runaway commission” that Democrats in Congress and families of 9/11 victims would use as a means to criticize President Bush, under whose watch the attacks occurred, and the administration’s counterterrorism policies. Meanwhile, Democrats worried that the commission could be unduly influenced by the White House, whether through the commissioners appointed, the professional staff hired, attempts to limit access, or subpoena powers.
The continuing controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s role in the events of January 6 underscores the need for an independent, bipartisan commission to definitively assess the degree and implications of his involvement. Yet, this appears to be another reason why congressional Republicans oppose a January 6 commission.
