9/11-style riot probe announced by Pelosi

WASHINGTON－US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Monday that Congress will establish an independent, Sept 11-style commission to look into the deadly insurrection that took place at the US Capitol.

Pelosi said the commission will "investigate and report on the facts and causes relating to the January 6, 2021, domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex … and relating to the interference with the peaceful transfer of power".

In a letter to Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said the House will also put forth supplemental spending to boost security at the Capitol.

After former US president Donald Trump's acquittal at his second Senate impeachment trial, bipartisan support appeared to be growing for an independent commission to examine the deadly insurrection.

Investigations into the riot were already planned, with Senate hearings scheduled later this month in the Senate Rules Committee. Pelosi asked retired Lieutenant General Russel Honore to lead an immediate review of the Capitol's security process.

In her letter on Monday, Pelosi said: "It is clear from his findings and from the impeachment trial that we must get to the truth of how this happened."

She added: "As we prepare for the Commission, it is also clear from General Honore's interim reporting that we must put forth a supplemental appropriation to provide for the safety of Members and the security of the Capitol."

Investigation urged

Democratic and Republican lawmakers from both parties, speaking on Sunday's news shows, signaled that even more inquiries were likely. The Senate verdict on Saturday, with its 57-43 majority falling 10 votes short of the two-thirds needed to convict Trump.

"There should be a complete investigation about what happened," said Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Trump. "What was known, who knew it and when they knew, all that, because that builds the basis so this never happens again."

An independent commission along the lines of the one that investigated the Sept 11 attacks would probably require legislation to create. That would elevate the investigation a step higher, offering a definitive government-backed accounting of events. Still, such a panel would pose risks of sharpening partisan divisions or overshadowing President Joe Biden's legislative agenda.

Agencies Via Xinhua