Topline

President Joe Biden has no plans to appoint a presidential commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol after Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would have created an independent commission to do just that, the White House says.

Key Facts

Biden “firmly agrees” with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that Congress has a “unique role and ability” to investigate the attack, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told Forbes in a statement, which was first reported by Axios.

Psaki said Biden “doesn’t plan to appoint his own commission” but believes the attack deserves a “full, and independent, investigation” to uncover facts about the attack “ensure it can never happen again.”

Pelosi said in a call with colleagues Tuesday that the four workable options are another Senate vote, impaneling a select committee, empowering an existing committee or continuing with probes by multiple committees.

Psaki did not single out a favored option in her statement, instead saying Biden believes lawmakers must honor their oaths by “putting politics aside” and supporting a “full and transparent” probe.

Key Background

Top Democrats considered an independent commission – which would have been buttressed by both congressional appropriations and subpoena power, neither of which a presidential commission would have – to be the best way to get a full and comprehensive account of the attack. Still, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) urged Biden to bypass Congress in a statement shortly after Senate Republicans filibustered the independent commission.

Big Number

6. That’s how many of the 50 Senate Republicans voted with Democrats to advance the commission bill last week after 35 of the 211 House Republicans voted to pass it in the House. The bill came as a result of a deal between Reps. John Katko (R-N.Y.) and Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who made several major concessions to the GOP to try to get them on board.

What To Watch For

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has signaled he may bring the bill back for yet another vote. "Senators should rest assured that the events of Jan. 6 will be investigated, and as Majority Leader I reserve the right to force the Senate to vote on the bill again at the appropriate time,” Schumer wrote in a letter to colleagues after the Senate vote.