Despite efforts by Democrats to guilt and shame Senate Republicans into supporting the creating of a “bipartisan” Jan. 6 Commission that would have been anything but, the vote on Friday failed to get the needed 10 Republicans to overcome the filibuster and proceed to a final vote that could have passed along party lines.
Now, Democrats are regrouping to decide what their next step in pursuing the investigation will be, and it looks like they have several options in front of them that they can use to achieve their desired result: blaming all Republicans for the actions of a few on Jan. 6.
Most pundits think the creation of a select committee in the House is the best plan B option for Democrats, even though it will come across as highly partisan and won’t have the impact a bipartisan independent commission would.
Democrats had threatened the select committee as a way to show Republicans that the investigation would not die just because the independent commission did.
Republicans filibuster, Democrats bluster
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday, “I’ve made the decision to oppose the House Democrats slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of Jan. 6,” adding that the decision came “after careful consideration.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the top prosecutor in Trump’s second impeachment trial, indicated that Democrats would proceed with House action on investigating Jan. 6. “Using the filibuster to cover up the truth about Jan. 6 is a scandalous abuse of power that should bring the filibuster to an immediate and long overdue end,” he told The Hill. “Until that happens, we will now have to move forward without the Senate to figure out how to create the nonpartisan, objective investigation into the events and causes of Jan. 6 that America deserves.”
“It’s shocking that the GOP has now extended the territory of the Big Lie to cover Jan. 6 too,” he added. “They obviously can’t handle the truth.”
Schumer’s accusations
“What are you afraid of? The truth?” Schumer thundered at Republicans ahead of the vote.
Democrats just can’t help themselves when they see a chance to attack Republicans, even those who were horrified by the events of Jan. 6.
They might have gotten their commission if they could drop the partisan posturing and hyperbole, but they just can’t do it.
Were the actions of a few extreme Trump supporters on Jan. 6 wrong? No one can dispute that. But were they the “worst attack on Democracy since the Civil War,” as President Joe Biden said at the end of April? Not even close and absurd claims like this have convinced Republicans that any investigation conducted will be yet another unfair, partisan witch hunt.
Why should they support an effort to crucify their entire party and, ultimately, discredit and destroy it?
The post Democrats regroup, look to plan B after Senate Republicans shoot down January 6th commission first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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