Carper on Jan. 6 Bill: “History Will Not Look Kindly on Today’s Vote”

U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), senior member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released the following statement today after the Senate failed to proceed to debate legislation that the House of Representatives passed last week that would establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol:

“History will not look kindly on today’s vote. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11^th, 2001, Congress established the 9/11 Commission, which endeavored to answer the many painful questions we were asking ourselves in the aftermath of that horrific day. Led by former Republican New Jersey Governor Tom Kean and former Democratic Congressman Lee Hamilton the bipartisan Commission was charged with two tasks: First, to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the attacks, and second, to recommend ways to make our country more secure. The 9/11 Commission produced 41 bipartisan recommendations on how to prevent another tragedy and keep our country safe, and nearly all of them were adopted by Republicans and Democrats in Congress.

“The task before us today should be no different. Our Capitol was overrun and desecrated in a deadly attack on January 6th, one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. Insurrectionists attacked officers with lead pipes, broke into our seat of government and vandalized our very symbol of democracy. Five people, including a Capitol Police Officer, died. Too many questions about what happened that day remain unanswered.

“I am disappointed that many of my colleagues who supported the 9/11 Commission opposed the creation of this commission today. I’m especially disappointed considering more than 30 Republican House members voted in favor of this bill just a few days ago.

“The American people deserve to know the truth. From the security breakdowns to the root causes that helped fuel this attack, a bipartisan commission modeled after the 9/11 Commission will give us the full truth. The commission would have 10 members, evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Despite today’s setback, I still have hope that we can come together as we have done in the past, and as I hope we continue to do in the future.”

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