Senate Republicans Kill Democrats’ Partisan January 6 Commission

The bill failed 54 to 35 without support from the 10 Republicans that it needed to overcome the Senate’s 60-vote threshold required to begin debate.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell led the Republican opposition calling the bill “slanted and unbalanced.”

“There is, has been, and there will continue to be, no shortage of robust investigations by two separate branches of the federal government,” McConnell said. “It’s not at all clear what new facts our additional investigation, yet another commission, could actually lay on top of existing efforts by law enforcement and Congress.”

Democrats decried Republicans’ opposition and the filibuster, which sets a 60-vote threshold for most legislation to advance.

“We have a mob overtake the Capitol, and we can’t get the Republicans to join us in making historic record of the event?” asked Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the no. 2 in his caucus, on the Senate floor. “That tells you what’s wrong with the Senate and what’s wrong with the filibuster.”

Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Rob Portman of Ohio were the only Republicans who voted in favor,

“I want to see a commission,” Collins told reporters. “I am working very hard to secure Republican votes.”

“The investigations will happen with or without Republicans,” Cassidy said in a statement ahead of the vote. “To ensure the investigations are fair, impartial, and focused on the facts, Republicans need to be involved.”

“I think the perception is on the part of the public that the January 6 Commission just trying to get to the truth of what happened, and that Republicans would be seen as not wanting to let the truth come out,” Romney told CNN on Wednesday. “I don’t believe that’s what’s the motivation but I think that’s the perception.”