30 People Who Are 100% Done After Republicans Block Jan. 6 Investigation Commission

Photo via Tyler Merbler/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

May 28, 2021, 11:21 am

The Democrats’ attempt to form a bipartisan commission to investigate the causes of the attempted coup on January 6 has been officially blocked in the senate, falling six votes short of breaking a Republican filibuster that required at least 60 votes in favor to overcome.

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Thanks to the filibuster, which can be activated with the sending of an email, the commission is dead in spite of a 54-35 vote in favor of its formation.

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All Democrats present and six Republicans issued “yes” votes, while nine Republicans and for some reason two Democrats (Kyrsten Sinema and Patty Murray) didn’t bother to show up for the vote at all.

BREAKING: Senate Republicans just blocked the Jan. 6 commission, 54-35. 60 votes were needed to proceed.

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 28, 2021

Certain Democrats are now calling for the party to launch an investigation on their own if Republicans are too scared of Donald Trump to play ball, arguing that such a monumental and historical event cannot just be swept under the rug as though the Capitol wasn’t breached by people calling for the hanging of the vice president. Many others are renewing the call to end the filibuster, which Republicans have used to block any legislation they don’t like even when they’re in a minority in both the senate and general opinion.

The filibuster came in spite of Democrats giving the opposing party a surprising amount of power in the now-dead commission, including the ability to veto any subpoena sought by investigators. The Republicans’ continuing refusal to work with Democrats at all have resulted in calls to give up the continuously failing attempts at bipartisanship and to treat the party as a treat to American democracy.

Whatever they think the solution might be, those who consider the attack on the Capitol to be a big deal are angry today, and they’re letting their feelings be known.

1.

There were 54 votes in favor of enacting the January 6 Commission, and 35 opposed, but because our rules are completely bananas that means that the 35 WON THE VOTE. The filibuster must go.

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) May 28, 2021

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2.

Schumer should call a vote on changing the rules to require at least 40 Republicans to continue the filibuster (which is not eliminating the filibuster!)

Call the vote and see what Manchin and Sinema do. https://t.co/nIy2oAEZBp

— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) May 28, 2021

3.

GOP says Trump beat Biden.
GOP punished Liz Cheney cuz she said Trump lost.
GOP says the insurrection was a peaceful demonstration.

GOP blocked a bipartisan investigation into the insurrection.
GOP are cowards, out of touch with reality, and total traitors.

Kill the filibuster.

— Billy Baldwin (@BillyBaldwin) May 28, 2021

4.

We’ve been saying that the filibuster is a tool of white supremacy.

Some may be surprised that now it’s being used to avoid any accountability for the white supremacist insurrection.

We’re not. Abolish the Jim Crow filibuster.

— Cori Bush (@CoriBush) May 28, 2021

5.

The January 6th attack was a warning. Today, Republicans block a bi-partisan investigation so they can defend the Big Lie & appease insurrectionists. And they’ve pushed 400+ anti-voter bills + new laws to subvert elections at the state level. We must defend our democracy. Now.

— Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) May 28, 2021

6.

“Shame on the Republican party for trying to sweep the horrors of that day under the rug because they’re afraid of Donald Trump,” Sen. Schumer says after the Senate fails to advance the Jan. 6 commission to investigate the Capitol attack.

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 28, 2021

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7.

A system that allows a 54-35 vote margin to be called a “stinging defeat” for the side that got the 54 is just not sustainable. This is over one way or another-it either slides into authoritarian minority rule or the filibuster goes away and allows an actual democracy to function pic.twitter.com/PNi2uF2z2q

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) May 28, 2021

8.

It’s our democracy or the filibuster.

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) May 28, 2021

9.

10.

11 GOP Senators are currently out of town. Democrats could end the filibuster with a single vote. They could literally end it right now.

— Gravel Institute (@GravelInstitute) May 28, 2021

11.

it is darkly funny to see the senate become exactly what the authors of the constitution hated about the confederation congress https://t.co/jYwIp4csQV

— b-boy bouiebaisse (@jbouie) May 28, 2021

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12.

Schumer on filibusters:
We have seen the limits of bipartisanship

— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) May 28, 2021

13.

Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans blocked the investigation of the Jan 6 insurrection because they’re fucking complicit.

No other explanation. They don’t want to do something, fearful of what will be found, that they’ll go to jail themselves.#GOPBetrayedAmerica

— David Leavitt (@David_Leavitt) May 28, 2021

14.

Choosing to put politics and political elections above the health of our Democracy is unconscionable. And the betrayal of the oath we each take is something they will have to live with. My statement on the January 6th Commission vote: pic.twitter.com/tlPme9LMIo

— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) May 28, 2021

15.

Republicans just gave Democrats no choice but to open a Select Cmte to investigate 1/6. Reply with #DemocratsDeliver if you agree.

— Scott Dworkin (@funder) May 28, 2021

16.

35 GOP senators were able to block Jan 6 commission supported by 54 bipartisan senators. Abolish the filibuster or they won’t be any democracy left to protect

— Ari Berman (@AriBerman) May 28, 2021

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17.

Republicans aren’t being honest about the Jan. 6 commission.
 
It’s bipartisan, with equal members from both parties. Subpoenas require a bipartisan vote. We agreed to Republicans’ 2021 deadline.
 
Their sham complaints distract from the real motive:
 
To hide the truth.

— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) May 28, 2021

18.

The Jan. 6 commission fails. Not only are we talking about investigating a terrorist attack on the US Capitol, but Democrats literally gave Republicans what they asked for.

Now can we stop pretending the GOP want bipartisanship or will this be the theme for the next 1.5 years?

— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) May 28, 2021

19.

Kyrsten Sinema—who continues to block the elimination of the Jim Crow filibuster—is ALSO one of 2 Democrats who didn’t bother to vote at all today, allowing Republicans to filibuster the Jan. 6 commission out of existence.@SenatorSinema you deserve to lose your job. https://t.co/y4nmRfpGSr

— Kendall Brown (@kendallybrown) May 28, 2021

20.

BLM and Antifa were acquitted today. Otherwise the GOP would’ve voted for Jan 6 Commission.

— Outspoken (@Out5p0ken) May 28, 2021

21.

In the very room that a violent mob desecrated while attempting to undermine our democracy, my colleagues opted out of pursuing a fulsome investigation into the actions that led to the events on Jan 6. We must continue to seek accountability.

— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) May 28, 2021

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22.

74% of Republicans say it’s “time to move on” from Jan. 6 insurrection.What percentage of them wanted to move on from the Benghazi hearings?

— Joy Behar (@JoyVBehar) May 28, 2021

23.

Jan 6 commission by executive order.
Now.
Let the insurrectionist party fight it in court and run out their clock.
Now.
Now.
Now.

— Lincoln’s Bible (@LincolnsBible) May 28, 2021

24.

The filibuster has got to go.

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) May 28, 2021

25.

The sooner people admit that the GOP is an anti-democracy party that exists only for power, the sooner necessary actions can be taken. Dragging out that admission has already lost valuable time. https://t.co/jVw3zlwuvn

— Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) May 28, 2021

26.

After Jan 6 insurrection, the top question I was asked was how do we heal as a nation? We can’t heal unless we have truth. We cannot turn the page of history until we write the history. Jan 6 commission is about truth. Shame on the senators who blocked the commission today. https://t.co/8sPLe2uFEp

— Andy Kim (@AndyKimNJ) May 28, 2021

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27.

Really mind-boggling to reject an independent investigation into the events of Jan 6. We need to document the facts and examine intelligence and security failures to be able to consider new laws, regs, policies, and practices. How far we have fallen since 9-11. https://t.co/2T4mPsooOR

— Barb McQuade (@BarbMcQuade) May 28, 2021

28.

Now that Republicans killed the Jan. 6 commission, I’m reupping this.

Time for a select committee.

“A select committee would bring a singular focus to the task,” @RepRaskin tells me, adding that it’s time to “examine every option very quickly, and move forward.” https://t.co/TSOdkFz0Oh

— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) May 28, 2021

29.

The Senate GOP just gave the DOJ an even stronger mandate and duty to appoint a special counsel team on the Jan 6 insurrection: https://t.co/c9YdMAFsq5

— Jed Shugerman (@jedshug) May 28, 2021

30.

A system that allows a 54-35 vote margin to be called a “stinging defeat” for the side that got the 54 is just not sustainable. This is over one way or another-it either slides into authoritarian minority rule or the filibuster goes away and allows an actual democracy to function pic.twitter.com/PNi2uF2z2q

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) May 28, 2021

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*First Published: May 28, 2021, 11:21 am