WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) today called on Congress to appoint an independent commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.  They made this statement:

“Congress should not be allowed to investigate itself when it comes to the massive security failures of January 6.

“We are calling for an independent commission to be appointed to investigate the security failures that allowed the Capitol to be breached on January 6th resulting in five deaths.   While today’s announcement that the Capitol Police Inspector General will investigate is welcome, we believe we need a truly independent commission with wide latitude and authority to examine the failures by the Capitol Police leadership, House and Senate Sergeants at Arms, and the officials that oversee them. 

“The commission must be comprised of nationally recognized non-partisan security experts.   The commission should be established and funded in the spirit of other bipartisan commissions.

“Americans understand Congress is rife with partisan disputes and turf wars.  We fear that without an outside set of eyes to review the issues the led to January 6, the investigations will fall into the familiar territory of partisan squabbles ultimately resolving nothing. 

“The U.S. Capitol is the people’s house and it belongs to the American people.  We owe it to them to get to the bottom of this security failure, which was a national embarrassment.  A commission is the best opportunity for us to get the answers the American people deserve.”

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