Rep. Greg Pence votes against commission into 'Hang Mike Pence' US Capitol insurrection
Video from the riots in Washington, D.C. shows Vice President Mike Pence evacuating with his family as insurrectionists were 100 feet away. USA TODAY
Thirty-five Republicans, including Indiana’s Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, joined Democrats Wednesday to pass a bill to create an independent commission to investigate the insurrection at the Capitol.
The vote was 252-175.
Modeled after the panel that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the legislation would give the Jan. 6 commission subpoena power to call witnesses and produce a report, analyzing the assault on the Capitol and how to prevent a similar attack in the future.
The commission would be appointed with five Democrats and five Republicans, all expected to have expertise in law enforcement, civil rights and intelligence.
The Republican votes in favor of the commission show a break with GOP leadership, including House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and former President Donald Trump. IndyStar has reached out to the 9th district’s Rep. Hollingsworth for comment.
The details: House panel proposes bipartisan Capitol riot commission to study Jan. 6 domestic terrorism
All other Republican Hoosiers in the House voted against the commission, including Indiana Rep. Greg Pence, brother of former Vice President Mike Pence. During the riots, people chanted “Hang Mike Pence” and “Bring out Pence,” according to video shown during Trump’s impeachment trial.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it faces resistance from Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has called it “slanted and unbalanced” and argued that various committees and agencies are already reviewing the events of Jan. 6.
Indiana Sen. Mike Braun, a Republican, echoed McConnell in a press conference Wednesday.
“It’s been a sensationalized a little bit,” Braun said, arguing Democrats have tried to make the event “very political.” Braun noted he is on a committee charged with finding out how to bolster Capitol security, and that the FBI has already made hundreds of arrests related to the insurrection.
Next comes the hard part: Capitol riot spurred conspiracy charge against 31 suspects, but how hard is it to prove?
“I think it’s rather late to the conversation because most of us feel that we’ve got the information that we need to make the right decisions in terms of what to do,” Braun said. “This looks like it’s a political effort to keep the day alive in living color, like you see it so often still on TV.”
Former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton, a Democrat, led the Sept. 11 commission alongside former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, a Republican, and urged Congress to pass the Jan. 6 commission bill.
“The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was one of the darkest days in the history of our country. Americans deserve an objective and an accurate account of what happened,” the two said in a joint statement Wednesday, USA TODAY reported. “As we did in the wake of September 11, it’s time to set aside partisan politics and come together as Americans in common pursuit of truth and justice.”
USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Contact IndyStar reporter Rashika Jaipuriar at rjaipuriar@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @rashikajpr.
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Published at Thu, 20 May 2021 13:38:00 +0000