White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is blasting lawmakers who she says are making the creation of a commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection a “political issue.”
During a White House press briefing on Thursday, she was asked if the White House would support a commission that only had the support of Democrats.
“We’re not at the point yet,” she said, adding, “What I will say, since you gave me the opportunity, is that the attack on the Capitol on January 6 was an unprecedented assault on our democracy. It demands a full and independent investigation into what happened.”
She continued, “This is not a political issue in the president’s view. This is a question of how we secure our democracy and the rule of law, so it’s incredibly disappointing to see how many representatives have opted to turn this into a political issue instead of doing what’s right for our country and our constitution. And they still have the opportunity to do the right thing.”
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Press sec. Psaki on Jan. 6th Commission: "This is a question of how we secure our democracy and the rule of law, so it's incredibly disappointing to see how many representatives have opted to turn this into a political issue instead of doing what's right for our country." pic.twitter.com/gdqeJzmcPs
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The House voted 252-175 on Wednesday to pass a bill to establish a commission that would investigate the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
The bill passed with the majority of House Republicans voting against it. However, 35 Republicans did break ranks to vote in favor of it.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) both said they oppose the creation of the commission.
McConnell claimed the legislation was “slanted and unbalanced,” and McCarthy charged that “political misdirections” had “marred this process.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also weighed in on Republicans’ opposition to the commission as she said earlier this week, “[It’s] disappointing but not surprising that the cowardice on the part of some on the Republican side not to want to find the truth.”