McConnell indicated that he was open to a committee that focused strictly on safety on the hill.
“We could do something scary looking at the Capitol, or we could potentially do something broader to analyze the full extent of the political violence problem in this country,” McConnell added. “We cannot land halfway on an artificial, politicized point.”
McConnell’s comments underscore the great challenge the Democrats face if they hope – as Pelosi suggests – to recreate the spirit of the 9/11 Commission, a two-pronged evaluation of the 2001 terrorist attacks that is seen as a model for intensive evaluations after the action of nationally important moments. Lawmakers have proposed similar “9/11 commissions” for Covid’s beginnings in America.
McConnell’s comments come as two Senate committees conduct a joint two-pronged investigation into the security concerns that allowed a pro-Trump mob to break through the Capitol as lawmakers certify Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory.
The Senate’s Homeland Security and Rules Committees will hold a hearing next week with officials from the Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI – three entities heavily criticized Tuesday at the panels’ initial hearing.
Former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund and Acting DC Police Chief Robert Contee told senators that the Pentagon was running slow in their urgent requests for assistance from the National Guard. They also indicated that they were not aware of intelligence reports suggesting extremist groups were preparing for violence.
The next hearing, scheduled for next Wednesday, will feature testimony from Robert Salesses, assistant secretary of defense for internal defense and global security; Jill Sanborn, deputy director of the FBI’s anti-terrorism division; and Melissa Smislova, who heads the Intelligence and Analysis Office of the Department of Homeland Security.
In addition, senators are expected to be briefed on Capitol security measures later Wednesday by the acting Chief of Police of the Capitol and the acting sergeant-at-arms of the Senate.