Courtesy of Bastrop Advertiser
May 27, 2021
By Joni Ashbrook
Historically, after America suffers an attack like Pearl Harbor or 9/11, an independent commission is convened not only to help the country understand what happened, but also to prevent future attacks.
Critical information has been gleaned from these commissions. For example, the 9/11 Commission found that in spite of the U.S. government having vast amounts of information, agencies were not communicating with one another which allowed the attack to occur.
There are ongoing investigations into different aspects of the failed attempts to stop the counting of electoral votes on Jan. 6 that confirmed President Joe Biden’s victory over Donald Trump, but the American people deserve a comprehensive report that pores over the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.
Last week, House Democrats and 35 Republicans voted to create a Jan. 6 commission, but 175 Republicans voted against it, including our congressman, Michael McCaul.
Excuses for their opposition don’t hold water.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy opposed the legislation even though it included exactly what he asked for. The commission would have five Democrats, five Republicans and coequal subpoena power. That’s what Republicans call “unbalanced.”
Republicans investigated the terrorist attack in Benghazi for more than two years, and McCarthy admitted in 2015 that was for political purposes. Now they argue there’s already enough investigations into one of the most horrific attacks on our democracy.
The U.S. Capitol and Washington D.C. Metropolitan police deserve a commission. They literally used their bodies to block the violent mob who were minutes away from harming or even killing members of Congress or taking them hostage.
Trump claims the mob was “hugging and kissing the police,” but over 140 officers were injured and one died, along with two who died by suicide following the attack.
The family of one of those officers who died by suicide is calling for a commission, and the Capitol police anonymously sent a letter to members of Congress expressing “profound disappointment” with Republicans’ opposition to one.
It read, “…we would hope that Members whom we took an oath to protect, would at the very minimum support an investigation to get to the bottom of EVERYONE responsible and hold them 100 percent accountable no matter the title of position they hold or held.”
The officers also blasted Republicans for minimizing the violence that day. “It is inconceivable that some of the Members we protect, would downplay the events of January 6th.”
For example, Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., compared Jan. 6 to a “normal tourist visit” despite photos of him barricading the House chamber doors against rioters not “tourists,” and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., called the insurrection a “peaceful protest.” Is this Republicans’ idea of “Backing the Blue?”
So much is still unclear. For instance, why did Trump’s Defense Department take more than three hours to approve a request for backup from the D.C. National Guard?
Also, an organizer of the “Stop the Steal” movement admitted he was assisted by three Republican lawmakers, and GOP members have been accused of giving Capitol “reconnaissance” tours to insurrectionists the day before the riots.
Surely, GOP senators don’t want a commission because some of them, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, fueled the “Big Lie” that the election was stolen.
The depth of the GOP’s desire to bury the truth was vividly illustrated by Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind., voting “no” for the commission. Why doesn’t he want to know absolutely everything about the violent mob chanting, “Hang Mike Pence,” about his own brother?
Republicans don’t want to get to the bottom of the attempted coup because they know what and who they’ll find as they scrape that grimy bottom.
Ashbrook is a contributing columnist for the Advertiser. She is a retired school teacher and may be reached at [email protected].
