Rep. Greg Pence, R-Indiana, has voted against a proposal to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, when a pro-Trump mob smashed into the complex, brutally beat police officers and chanted that they wanted to hang his brother, Vice President Mike Pence.
Thirty five House Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure Wednesday night, which ultimately passed 252-175, according to congressional records. The only House Republican representing Indiana who voted in favor of the commission was Rep. Trey Hollingsworth, R-Indiana.
The proposal, which is modeled after the investigation into the 9/11 terrorist attacks, would establish an independent 10-member commission tasked with investigating the attack, reviewing causes and lessons learned and improving security at the U.S. Capitol Complex, according to the text of the bill.
The commission would have the authority to hold hearings, receive evidence and issue subpoenas and would have to issue a final report by Dec. 31, the bill states. Four members and a commission chair would be appointed by Democrats, while another four members and a vice-chair would be appointed by Republicans.
Pence’s office did not respond to requests to explain his reasons for voting against the measure, but evoked the chants of hanging his brother in a comment to The Washington Post, characterizing the proposed bipartisan commission a “political execution” of former President Donald Trump.
“Hanging Judge Nancy Pelosi is hellbent on pushing her version of partisan justice complete with a hand-picked jury that will carry out her pre-determined political execution of Donald Trump before law enforcement officials have completed their investigation,” Pence told The Washington Post before the vote.
The vote on the commission comes at a time when some Republicans have begun to downplay the severity of the Jan. 6 attack, with a growing number of Republican lawmakers propagating a watered-down portrayal of the insurrection and comparing the rioters to a “mob of misfits” on a “normal tourist visit,” according to wire reports.
One member of congress suggested the sweeping investigation into the riot — which has resulted in more than 400 arrests, including Edinburgh resident Jon Schaffer — is a national campaign of harassment, according to wire reports.
Wednesday’s vote also underscored a rift in the GOP, as some lawmakers supported an investigation of the shocking and violent Capitol attack while leaders tried to avoid enraging the former president, whose support they believe they’ll need to win House control in the 2022 elections, The Associated Press reported.
But among the 175 House Republicans who opposed the bill, Pence’s vote stood out, grabbing the attention of Late Show host Stephen Colbert, who said: “Certainly it changes the meaning of this text from Greg: ‘Hey bro! Wanna hang this weekend?’”
On Jan. 6, a violent mob loyal to Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol and forced lawmakers into hiding, in an attempt to overturn America’s presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Democrat Joe Biden from replacing Trump in the White House, according to wire reports.
The nation’s elected representatives scrambled to crouch under desks and don gas masks, while police futilely tried to barricade the building, one of the most jarring scenes ever to unfold in a seat of American political power.
The rioters were egged on by Trump, who had spent weeks falsely attacking the integrity of the election and had urged his supporters to descend on Washington to protest Congress’ formal approval of Biden’s victory. Some Republican lawmakers were in the midst of raising objections to the results on his behalf when the proceedings were abruptly halted by the mob.
Some in the pro-Trump mob were heard shouting “Hang Mike Pence.” Trump had turned on his vice president and Columbus native for not derailing Congress’ counting of the votes, which Vice President Pence did not have the constitutional power to do, according to wire reports.
Just hours later — after the clouds of tear gas and dissipated and heavily armed officers pushed the mob of pro-Trump insurrectionists off the Capitol grounds — Rep. Pence returned to the House floor and joined 138 House Republicans and seven Republican senators in objecting to Electoral College tallies in Pennsylvania, where nearly 7 million Americans cast ballots.
— The Associated Press contributed to this report.
