by Tristan Justice at The Federalist
Democrats haven’t finished exploiting the attacks on the Capitol early this year. Don’t hold your breath they ever will.
On Wednesday, House Democrats are expected to pass legislation creating a 9/11-style commission regarding the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. It’s just their latest effort to re-traumatize the American psyche after a failed impeachment with fabricated evidence to excommunicate their political opponents, branding any and all on the political right who dared raise concerns about chaotic November election procedures as complicit in the horror.
Some House Republicans appear to see the commission for what it is: the 2021 version of 2017’s special counsel probe run by Robert Mueller, another excuse to use the weapons of law enforcement against Democrats’ political enemies. After the two-year investigation run by a team of Democrats with unlimited resources, Mueller’s team found not one person, let alone Donald Trump himself, had colluded with the Russian government to capture the pinnacle of power. It was a damaging conspiracy with origins in the deep state. No meaningful commission has ever yet held those responsible for this assault on American democracy accountable.
On Tuesday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy rejected Democrats’ proposal for the commission, branded as bipartisan after Republican Rep. John Katko of New York negotiated its scope. That still excludes any investigation into last year’s deadly routine riots by the far left, the shooting of Republicans at a congressional baseball practice, or the Good Friday attack this year.
“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,” McCarthy said in a statement.
Republican leadership, which now excludes Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney who voted for Trump’s impeachment over the riot and supports the commission, has urged the conference to reject its creation in Wednesday’s vote. In other words, House leadership has reclaimed its backbone.
Hse GOP Whip Scalise recommends no vote on bill to establish bipartisan commission to probe 1/6 riot. Says Katko improved the bill. But says bill won’t allow probes of Good Friday attack at the Capitol & ’17 baseball practice attack. Says bill could interfere w/prosecutions
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) May 18, 2021
No self-respecting Republican would vote for the commission as proposed. The absence of any investigation into any of the widespread political violence outside of the Jan. 6 riot exposes it as deeply unserious and, worse, deeply exploitive.
Most conservatives are not in denial about what happened at the Capitol…