Biden won’t appoint commission to investigate Capitol riot – but Pelosi could step in

President Joe Biden will not salvage an attempt to create a bipartisan investigation into the Capitol insurrection by appointing his own presidential commission, after Senate Republicans staged a blockade to prevent Congress from forming a bipartisan probe into the events surrounding the attack on 6 January.

Some House Democrats, as well as a former counsel on the 9/11 Commission on which lawmakers modelled a potential riot probe, have pressured the White House to step in after GOP senators largely opposed the investigation.

The president believes that “Congress itself has a unique role and ability to carry out that investigation”, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told Axios.

“Because of that, the President doesn’t plan to appoint his own commission,” she said in a statement to the publication.

The president supports a “full and independent investigation to determine what transpired and ensure it can never happen again”, she added.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had previously ruled out a presidential commission as “not a workable idea in this circumstance” because Congress would still need to approve money and subpoena authority for the panel, according to the Associated Press.

Ms Pelosi has reportedly laid out several possible scenarios for pursuing a commission-led investigation, more than four months after a pro-Trump mob motivated by the former president’s “stolen election” narrative sought to overturn 2020 election results by storming into Congress.

A measure to begin debate on creating a bipartisan commission – negotiated with a group of Democrats and Republicans – failed on 28 May by a vote of 54-35, with the GOP staging its first effective filibuster of this Congress.

Eleven senators, including two Democrats, skipped the vote, though six Republican senators joined the majority of Democrats to support it. The measure needed 60 votes to move forward.

The proposal passed the House of Representatives on 19 May, with 35 House Republicans breaking from their party to support it.

Ms Pelosi has reportedly suggested a second Senate vote to try to force more members on the record.

She also has reportedly mulled a House effort with Democratic US Rep Bennie Thompson and Republican John Katko taking the lead. Both congressman lead efforts towards the initial bipartisan attempt.