West Michigan Republicans Upton & Meijer Join Dems Calling For Capitol Attack Commision

Two West Michigan Republicans joined the ranks of House Democrats and 33 other Republicans in calling for a 9/11 style commission to investigate the attack and insurrection at the United States Capitol on January 6th.

Freshman congressman Peter Meijer of Grand Rapids, and Fred Upton of St. Joseph, voted in favor of the commission despite opposition from Republican leaders that included Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy.

During the debate about whether or not the commission, which would be made up of an independent body with subpoena powers, Meijer implored his fellow members of Congress to allow the investigation of the Jan. 6th event:

There has been an active effort to whitewash and rewrite the shameful events of that day to avoid accountability and turn away from difficult truths. If we avoid confronting what happened here just a few short months ago, we can be sure that intimidation, coercion and violence will become a defining feature of our politics.

Meijer's comments came in light of other republicans who've been accused of whitewashing the events of the day. These included controversial comments from Georgia Representative Andrew Clyde who said the rioters were more like 'tourists':

Watching the TV footage of those who entered the Capitol and walked through Statuary Hall showed people in an orderly fashion staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures. You know, if you didn't know the TV footage was a video from January the 6th, you would actually think it was a normal tourist visit.

The final vote in the House was 252 to 175 in favor of the independent commission. 5 people died during the insurrection on January 6th, including a DC Capitol police officer.