GOP senators face pressure to support Jan. 6 commission

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• The late police officer Brian Sicknick’s mother has requested a meeting with GOP senators to convince them to support the creation of an independent investigative commission about the Capitol incident.
• Former President Donald Trump is against the establishment of such commission.
• Republican senators are confronted with mounting pressure to back the commission.

Persuading GOP senators to back a proposed bipartisan commission to probe the January 6 US Capitol siege, the mother of late Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick has requested to meet each and every one of them.

According to a copy of emails requested by Gladys Sicknick per Politico, she is pursuing sit-down meetings with every Republican senator on Thursday with an objective to explain the “importance” of creating an independent body to investigate the Capitol riot.

His son, Brian, passed away while doing his law enforcement duty following a stroke the day after the insurrection.

“Not having a January 6 Commission to look into exactly what occurred is a slap in the faces of all the officers who did their jobs that day,” Gladys Sicknick said in a statement provided to Politico. 

“I suggest that all Congressmen and Senators who are against this Bill visit my son’s grave in Arlington National Cemetery and, while there, think about what their hurtful decisions will do to those officers who will be there for them going forward.”

Gladys added: “Putting politics aside, wouldn’t they want to know the truth of what happened on January 6? If not, they do not deserve to have the jobs they were elected to do.”

Numerous GOP senators like Susan Collins (ME.), Mitt Romney (UT.), John Cornyn (TX.), Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Tim Scott (S.C.) have expressed interest in discussing with Gladys while other senators like Ted Cruz (TX.) and Joni Ernst (IA.) have not yet responded.

In private meetings with fellow Republican lawmakers, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY.) has cautioned that the conclusion of the commissions’ report could affect the outcome of the 2022 election. For his part, former President Donald Trump strongly denounced any move to push through with the commission, and even lambasted House GOP members who supported its passage.

An unverified and unsigned document with the Capitol Police letterhead released last week contained a condemning message against top Republicans who are against the establishment of the commission.

“On Jan 6th, where some officers served their last day in US Capitol Police uniform, and not by choice, we would hope that Members whom we took an oath to protect, would at the very minimum support an investigation to get to the bottom of EVERYONE responsible and hold them 100 percent accountable no matter the title of position they hold or held,” the letter said.

Amid the negotiations on the proposed commission, Republicans are confronted with growing political pressure. One particular instance is D.C. Police official Michael Fanone, who sustained serious physical injuries during the Capitol assault. Fanone has been requesting to meet with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA.).

Source: POLITICO