A day after the House passed a bill to establish a commission to investigate the attack on the US Capitol, 5 Senate Republicans have confirmed that they will vote to approve the legislation. Democrats would need 10 GOP senators to buck their leadership to start diving further into the events that shook the Capitol on January 6.
But the commission faces an uphill climb as the vast majority of Republicans, many of whom may be dragged into the mud for their role in inciting the insurrection, are signaling they’d vote against the legislation.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer moved Wednesday night to bring up the House’s passed commission bill to the Senate floor as soon as next week. There’s a reason they are moving quickly. The momentum, aides believe, is there to keep the pressure on. That’s hardly a guarantee it will pass, but keeping the pressure on and options open is important for Democrats right now.
Meanwhile, Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has been working his members behind the scenes, laying out what a commission would actually mean for those who may be seen as co-conspirators in the attack.
Republicans are also keenly aware of what a congressional investigation into January 6 would mean: more talk of former President Donald Trump, more talk of the big lie, more questions each and every day about a dark day that was the culmination of months of falsehoods and fanning of the flames by many members in the GOP. If the goal is to take back the House and Senate in 2022, that’s not helpful.
Here are the GOP senators who say they will vote “yes.”
Mitt Romney of Utah
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
