President Joe Biden is opposing creating a Jan. 6 presidential commission, Axios reported Thursday.
The president plans to continue urging Congress to establish its own committee, White House officials said according to Axios. He won’t, however, appoint his own presidential committee dedicated to investigating the Jan. 6 riot, which saw Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers were voting to certify the election for Biden.
House Democrats proposed creating a presidential commission after Senate Republicans killed a bill to create one in a vote at the end of May. Six Republicans supported the bill, but 10 votes were necessary to overcome the 60-vote threshold to start debating.
“Congress was attacked on that day, and President Biden firmly agrees with Speaker Pelosi that Congress itself has a unique role and ability to carry out that investigation,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said according to the report. “Because of that, the President doesn’t plan to appoint his own commission.”
A large group of pro-Trump protesters stand on the East steps of the Capitol Building after storming its grounds on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)
“The events of Jan. 6 were an unprecedented assault on our democracy — and he believes they deserve a full, and independent, investigation to determine what transpired and ensure it can never happen again,” the press secretary continued.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has given various options on reviewing how the Jan. 6 riot occurred, according to NBC News. She “dismissed” the idea of Biden launching a presidential commission and reportedly said it wasn’t “workable,” NBC News noted. (RELATED: McConnell Publicly Opposes Jan. 6 Commission After Meeting With GOP Senators)