On Friday, after Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have created an independent commission to investigate the riot at the Capitol, Hillary Clinton publicly outlined some of the dangers of their position on Twitter. In short, the Republican Senators who voted against moving forward with the proposed independent commission opted to close off an option to further understand an attack against a seat of democracy in the United States. Is glossing over the reality of this violence really what these Republicans want to be known for?
On Friday, Hillary commented as follows:
‘An angry mob attacked our Capitol, our lawmakers, and our election. They killed a policeman. And Republican leaders would rather we all not know more about what happened.’
An angry mob attacked our Capitol, our lawmakers, and our election.
They killed a policeman.
And Republican leaders would rather we all not know more about what happened.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) May 28, 2021
Hillary’s comments refer to the original assertion from authorities that the late Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick had died from injuries sustained during his participation in the defense of the Capitol against the mobbing Trump supporters. The medical examiner for D.C. has since ruled that Sicknick died of natural causes — two strokes, to be exact — although the Capitol Police noted that the conclusion “does not change the fact Officer Sicknick died in the line of duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol.” Sicknick died very soon after the attack on the Capitol.
Going forward, there are at least a couple of available options for pursuing broad answers about the Capitol violence. Democrats could convene what’s known as a select committee to look into the issue, giving themselves extra leeway to overcome potential Republican obstruction. Select committees operate for more limited time and with more limited areas of interest than other Congressional committees, and they are generally chaired by a member of the party that leads Congress. There’s currently a select subcommittee handling COVID-19-related issues chaired by Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), for instance.
Another option would be bringing the bill to create the independent commission up for a vote again. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Friday that he was holding on to the option to do so.
