Legislation to create commission to probe Capitol riot appears unlikely to pass in the Senate

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved legislation to establish a 9/11-style commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, but the prospect of passage in the Senate appears slim due to Republican opposition.

Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican who previously voted in favor of convicting former President Trump after the House voted to impeach the outgoing president earlier this year, has announced that he does not support the commission.

"The Justice Department is currently conducting one of the largest federal criminal investigations in history and has already made hundreds of arrests. Congress has also been conducting multiple ongoing investigations," Burr said. "These investigations are being led by the committees with jurisdiction, and I believe, as I always have, this is the appropriate course. I don't believe establishing a new commission is necessary or wise."

Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday that he will not back the move to establish the commission.

Democrats would need to secure 10 Republican votes in order for the bill to surmount a filibuster.

"The real reason, it seems, Republican leaders are suddenly opposed to this bipartisan commission is they don't want to talk about the 'big lie' at all," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, according to the Washington Times. "They don't even want to investigate how former President Donald Trump instigated an attack on our democracy because he was angry about losing the 2020 election."