Romney Becomes First GOP Sen. To Back Bipartisan Jan. 6 Commission

Senate Foreign Relations Committee member Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) attends a hearing August 4, 2020. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) on Monday expressed support for the House bill on creating a bipartisan commission to study the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection.

“I would support the bill,” Romney told reporters, per the Hill and Axios.

The Utah Republican is the first GOP senator to back the measure.

All eyes are on the Senate after the bill passed in the House in a 252-175 vote, with 35 Republicans crossing party lines to approve the commission.

10 Republican senators are needed to join all 50 Democrats in the chamber in order to overcome the filibuster and pass the bill.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who, like Romney, voted to convict ex-President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial for inciting the insurrection, said on Sunday that she “strongly” supports having a commission to study the Capitol siege, but only under certain conditions.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has come out against the House bill, as has fellow leader GOP conference chair Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY). Sen. Roy Blunt (R-CO) argued on Sunday that it was “too early” to create a commission.

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Notable Replies

  1. Hopefully this will help Sen. Manchin understand that even a thoroughly bipartisan proposal to address an ostensibly non-partisan issue can’t get sixty votes in the Senate.

  2. Avatar for dont dont says:

    One.
    Maybe because he almost walked into a lynching.

  3. Bleeping rioting tourists!

    bitch ass billi poseR posey R fl also voted against too.

  4. I’ve got $50 that says RepubliQans in the Senate have already decided who will be allowed to say “yes” to the Jan. 6 Commission.

    Romney was given permission to do this and I’ll bet there will be 4-5 others who will play the “I’m a moderate” card - KNOWING that it won’t make any real difference since the filibuster will hold up.

  5. Mitt’s still old school.
    I don’t think that he fully understands that control of his party has passed from people like him to all those voters and politicians Nixon brought in to widen his support.

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