Mitch McConnell: Nancy Pelosi's plan for investigating the Capitol attack is a 'bizarre partisan concept'

WASHINGTON — Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he’s concerned Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plan to establish a commission to investigate the U.S. Capitol attack would be overly “partisan.”

Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday afternoon, McConnell noted Pelosi’s proposal was criticized by the leaders of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission it was supposedly modeled after because it would feature seven members appointed by Democrats and four appointed by Republicans.

McConnell began by saying he has spoken out against the assault that took place on Jan. 6 when supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an effort to block the certification of President Biden’s election victory. He went on to say he has supported prosecutions for those involved and a “thorough review of the specific institutions and security procedures within Congress that proved so insufficient.”

However, he argued Pelosi’s proposal is the wrong way to move forward.

“The speaker of the House proposes even more investigation through a new commission. She cites the precedent of the 9/11 Commission, but her draft bill fails to track with that precedent in key ways,” McConnell said. “The 9/11 Commission was intentionally built to be bipartisan. The 50-50 bipartisan split ... both helped the effectiveness of the investigation itself and helped give the whole country confidence in its work and its recommendations.”

McConnell called Pelosi’s proposal “partisan by design.” Along with including a majority appointed by Democrats, he said, the speaker’s plan “would vest subpoena power in one appointee chosen by the Democrats.” McConnell’s critique went beyond the makeup of the proposed panel. He also suggested its review shouldn’t go beyond security failures that allowed rioters to breach the Capitol. Five deaths have been linked to the violence, including that of a Capitol Police officer who was attempting to keep the crowd back.

“The speaker’s proposal imagines something more than an investigation into specific security failures that occurred here at the Capitol,” McConnell said. “It sets the stage for a somewhat broader inquiry into domestic violent extremism beyond just that day.”