By The Editorial Board | The Wall Street Journal
There’s little chance of a fair-minded inquiry in today’s
Washington.
Democrats are forcing a House vote Wednesday to establish
a commission to investigate the events of Jan. 6, despite opposition from
Republican leaders. Do not expect this largely partisan vote to yield a
bipartisan accounting of the Capitol riot.
An independent commission could be useful if it answered
outstanding questions and agreed on a common set of facts about events. The
Capitol police and law enforcement haven't been forthcoming with key
details—such as the role the police played in letting rioters enter the
building, or the circumstances of the killing of protester Ashli Babbitt, or
what they know about who planned what.
Yet the prospects for that are none and slimmer. Speaker
Nancy Pelosi has been driving this idea, and she has a record of using these
commissions for partisan ends. Her goal here is drive her narrative that the
riot was a planned attempted coup, and to run on that theme to keep the House
in 2022. She tipped her ambitions when she first proposed a commission with
seven members appointed by Democrats and four by Republicans.
She has since made concessions to Republicans, who are
divided as usual. Last week New York’s John Katko, the ranking Republican on
the Homeland Security Committee, struck a commission deal with Democrats. House
GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy immediately panned the proposal. This is the latest
leadership misfire by Mr. McCarthy, which doesn’t bode well if he becomes
Speaker in 2023.
The press says Republicans got what they wanted, namely a
commission with five members (including the chair) named by Democrats, and five
(including a vice chair) by Republicans. The proposal requires agreement
between the chair and vice chair—or a vote of a majority of the commission—to
issue subpoenas. The commission would be required to issue its report by Dec.
31.
But hidden in the fine print are tools empowering
Democrats. The bill gives the chairman unilateral authority to demand
information from federal agencies and appoint senior staff. “Thanks to powers
invested in the Chairperson alone, the Democratically-appointed members would
have significant control over the direction of the investigation” and the
ability to stop GOP members from “engaging in mischief,” New York University
law professor Ryan Goodman reassured a Washington Post writer.
Mr. McCarthy also wants the commission to address the
political violence beyond Jan. 6—including the 2017 attack at a Republican
baseball practice that almost killed Rep. Steve Scalise ; this year’s Good
Friday murder of Capitol officer William Evans ; and attacks on a federal
courthouse in Portland, Ore. But Democrats are opposed, and the broader the
mandate the greater likelihood of discord.
Multiple investigations of the Jan. 6 events are already
underway. The Justice Department has announced 445 arrests, and the Office of
the Architect of the Capitol has been allocated $10 million to conduct a
security review. Congressional committees, led by Democrats, have been holding
hearings and will no doubt issue reports. Unless a commission could work together,
its effort would be redundant.
It’s a shame to say it, but there isn’t enough shared
trust in Washington these days to pull off a bipartisan inquiry on so polarized
a subject. Mrs. Pelosi views the commission as a path to retain her majority,
and Donald Trump will be cat-calling from the sidelines.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer gave the game away
on Tuesday when he said: “Republicans can let their constituents know: Are they
on the side of truth, or do they want to cover up for the insurrectionists and
for Donald Trump?” Fair-minded inquiry?
A commission will add more partisan heat than light, so
better to let Congress and law enforcement do their job in regular order, and
be held accountable for it.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-jan-6-narrative-commission-11621377134
