May 28, 2021 2:35 PM | With information from EFE
15 minutes. Republicans on Friday blocked the consideration in the United States Senate (USA) of a draft law to create an independent commission to investigate the assault on the Capitol on January 6, which left 5 dead, including a police officer.
Democrats failed to reach the minimum support (60) to start the debate in the chamber on the formation of that commission. In the procedural vote, the result was 54 in favor and 35 against.
The progressives, who have a narrow majority in the upper house, needed the backing of 10 conservatives. However, they only got 6.
The vote should have taken place on Thursday but was delayed due to the prolonged debate last night on another legislative proposal to increase the competitiveness of the US against China.
On January 6, hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump (2017-2021) stormed the headquarters of the US Congress when a joint session of the 2 houses was held to ratify the victory of Democrat Joe Biden in the November elections.
Apart from the 5 who died, about 140 officers were attacked by pro-Trump protesters. They were armed with axes, bats, hockey sticks and other weapons, according to data from the authorities..
In the middle of this month, the Lower House approved the draft law with the proposal to create an independent commission of investigation on those events in the Capitol.
The team and the role
This commission would take as a model the one established to investigate the attacks of September 11, 2001. It would consist of 10 members, appointed equally by Democrats and Republicans.
However, the leader of the Republican minority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, had already warned that he would oppose the formation of that body.
Conservatives have argued that the commission should not only focus on the events of January 6, but also in the activities of the anarchist movement ANTIFA and Black Lives Matter during the summer of 2020. That is, when protests developed against police brutality against African Americans.
Democrats reject it because those groups did not stormed the Capitol. They also consider that the assault deserves a specific investigation.
