Police clear the U.S. Capitol with tear gas as supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in Washington on January 6, 2021.
Stephanie Keith | Reuters
House lawmakers hope to reach an agreement earlier this week on the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol, a senior Democratic adviser told CNBC on Tuesday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Represented House Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., To open negotiations with Rep. John Katko, RN.Y., senior member of the Panel to complete.
If an agreement is reached on time, according to the Democratic aide, a bill creating the commission could be brought to the floor of the House by next week.
“As things are fluid we cannot comment at the moment,” said Adam Comis, a spokesman for the Homeland Security Committee, in an email. A spokesman for the committee’s GOP minority did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The Capitol Hill development, first reported by Punchbowl News, follows a month-long partisan jam over the 9/11-style investigative panel details.
Pelosi said in February that Congress would set up a commission to investigate the deadly January 6 invasion of a supporter of former President Donald Trump’s supporters, which frustrated efforts to confirm President Joe Biden’s electoral college victory.
However, disagreements quickly arose over the original terms of office of the commission, which included seven Democratic candidates and only four Republicans, and which would have given the Democrats unilateral powers to issue subpoenas.
In April, Pelosi said she would agree to split the panel evenly between the two parties and change the rules for issuing subpoenas.
Another sticking point is the size of the probe. Democrats want the commission to focus solely on the January 6 invasion and circumstances, while the Republicans pushed to widen their parameters to include violence in separate protests attributed to instigators on the far left.
Further research is underway. Michael Bolton, inspector general of the US Capitol Police, testified before lawmakers about problems with the department’s operations prior to the attack.
Pelosi also hired retired Lieutenant General Russell Honore to conduct a security check on the Capitol. Honore reported deficiencies in the training, staff and equipment of Capitol officers in March and made numerous recommendations.
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