“Remember, this commission, the appointment of the chair goes to Schumer and Pelosi and they appoint the staff. All the staff would be Democrats.”
— House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), in an interview on “The Ingraham Angle” on Fox News, May 18
Commission staff “would only be appointed by the Democrat chairman” and “Republicans would not have a say in that.”
— Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), in remarks, May 19
“We need to read the fine print. Even though the commission appears to be balanced, my staff tells me that in fact the majority — the chair, who will be determined by Pelosi and Schumer — control all the staff hiring.”
— Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), in a news conference, May 18
The House passed a bill to establish an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, similar to the 9/11 Commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The vote on Wednesday was 252 to 175, with 35 Republicans joining all Democrats in support.
The Jan. 6 commission members would be split equally between Democrats and Republicans. But they would need a staff: investigators, lawyers, aides, the works. Continue reading.