Representative Dan Bishop has criticized the proposed commission to investigate the deadly Capitol riot, and suggested the events did not meet the definition of an insurrection.
Bishop, a Republican who represents North Carolina's 9th congressional district, on Wednesday raised concerns that the commission would not be bipartisan and that his GOP colleague, Representative John Katko of New York, had been "played" by the Democrats.
Katko cosponsored the legislation to create a 9/11-style commission to investigate the storming of the Capitol on January 6. Five people died, including Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick.
"If it was an insurrection, it was the worst example of an insurrection in the history of mankind," Bishop said on the House floor.
"It was a riot. It was a mob. And it was significant. And it was troublesome. But this is not bipartisanship.
"And I fear that the gentleman from New York [Katko] may find that he has been played," Bishop said.
The bill passed the House by a vote of 252 to 175, with 35 Republican members joining Democrats. It will now head to the Senate where Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he opposes the measure.
Representative Tim Ryan, a Democrat representing Ohio's 13th congressional district, delivered a floor speech strongly criticizing Republicans who were opposed to the bill.
Ryan thanked the Republicans who had voted for the commission but said the rest "of our friends on the other side of the aisle, holy cow. Incoherence. No idea what you're talking about."
He compared GOP opposition to the commission to an investigation of the 2012 Benghazi attack where four Americans were killed. The Republican-led probe into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's involvement in the attack took nearly two years and concluded in 2016. It cost some $7 million and did not find that Clinton was personally responsible or that she could have prevented the incident.
"Benghazi, you guys chased the former secretary of state all over the country, spent millions of dollars," Ryan said on Wednesday. "We have people scaling the Capitol, hitting the Capitol Police with lead pipes across the head, and we can't get bipartisanship. What else has to happen in this country?"
The bill still has to pass the Senate before it reaches President Joe Biden's desk and it could face significant hurdles because of McConnell's opposition. Ten GOP senators would have to side with Democrats for the measure to be adopted.
"After careful consideration, I've made a decision to oppose the House Democrats' slanted and unbalanced proposal for another commission to study the events of January 6," McConnell said on the Senate floor on Wednesday.
Newsweek has asked Representatives Dan Bishop and Tim Ryan for comment.
5/20/21 6.50 a.m. ET: This article was corrected to state that Rep. Tim Ryan represents Ohio's 13th congressional district.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Darragh Roche is a U.S. News Reporter based in Limerick, Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. politics. He has ... Read more
