Topline

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said Wednesday a bill to create an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has support from around “three to four” Senate Republicans – far short of what it would need to overcome the filibuster – as Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) indicated he may be one of those.

Key Facts

Romney, one of only two GOP senators who have said they’ll vote for the commission, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), said he’s “not doing a whip count” but that “a couple more [votes], I think, are likely.”

Another possible ‘yes’ vote, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), is proposing an amendment to the commission bill aimed at addressing GOP concerns that the text of the bill might allow the Democrat-appointed commission chair to have the final say over staff.

The amendment gets at a key concern of some GOP senators, like Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who said in a statement on Wednesday “we need that guarantee.”

Romney suggested the Collins amendment could get more GOP votes, as would assuring “people of stature” will be appointed to the commission – jokingly suggesting former GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander and Clinton aide Erskine Bowles as co-chairs.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told Forbes he’s waiting on the Collins amendment before coming to a final decision, but indicated he’s leaning toward “yes.”

Cassidy said the commission would be preferable to a Democrat-led, Benghazi-style select committee because it would be more likely to probe GOP criticism of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision-making on Jan. 6.

Big Number

10. That’s the number of GOP votes Democrats need in the Senate order to overcome a filibuster. Romney, Murkowski, Collins and Cassidy are among the seven who voted to convict Trump for “inciting” the attack in his February impeachment trial, though another, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), came out against the commission. “It doesn’t appear that there are enough votes,” Sen. Debbie Stabenow told Forbes on Tuesday.

Tangent

The mother of Brian Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer who died a day after responding to the attack, is asking every Senate Republican for a sit-down, according to Politico. Gladys Sicknick told Politico not having a commission would be a “slap in the faces of all officers who did their jobs that day,” and urged all lawmakers to visit her son’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery.

Crucial Quote

“Look, I am sorry if an independent commission to study an attack on our democracy isn't a Republican ad-maker's idea of a good time," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a floor speech on Wednesday, accusing his GOP counterpart Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans of opposing the commission based on a belief it would hurt them in the 2022 elections.

What To Watch For

The vote on the commission is expected to come as soon as Thursday. Schumer has repeatedly said it will “likely” be this week, leaving open the marginal possibility it could be delayed until after the upcoming Senate recess.