In Wednesday debate on the House floor, Katko called on his colleagues “to put down their swords for once, just for once,” and vote for the commission to cut through partisan politics and get to the facts.
Like the 9/11 Commission, the 10-member January 6 commission would have the ability to issue subpoenas for relevant information on the insurrection. The group is tasked with producing a final report by December 31 with “findings regarding the facts and causes of the attack” and solutions to prevent attacks on the Capitol and other “democratic institutions.”
Five members, including the commissioner’s chair, would be chosen by Democratic leaders of the House and the Senate, and the other five, including the vice chair, would be selected by their Republican counterparts.
Another House Republican, Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan, said on the House floor that “there has been an active effort to whitewash” the “horrible events” of the day. “If we avoid confronting what happened here a few short months ago, we can ensure that intimidation, coercion, and violence will become a defining feature of our politics,” he said.
