February 16, 2021
1 min read

Independent commission to probe Capitol riots

In a letter to lawmakers, she said the commission would be modelled on the inquiry into the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and the Pentagon…reports Asian Lite News

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the Congress will establish an “outside, independent” commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the US Capitol by the supporters of former US President Donald Trump.

In a letter to lawmakers, she said the commission would be modelled on the inquiry into the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and the Pentagon, the BBC reported on Monday.

“We must get to the truth of how this happened,” she said.

Trump was acquitted by the Senate of inciting the violence. But Democrats and some Republicans have backed an independent probe into the riots, which left five persons dead.

Pelosi said that US Army Lieutenant General Russel Honore had, over the past few weeks, been assessing the security needs of the Capitol in light of the attack.

“It is clear from his findings and from the impeachment trial that we must get to the truth of how this happened,” she said.

The commission, she said, “would investigate and report on the facts and causes” of the attack; “the interference with the peaceful transfer of power”; and the “preparedness and response” of both the Capitol police and other branches of law enforcement.

She also said that, based on Lt. Gen. Honore’s initial findings, Congress needed to allocate additional funding to “provide for the safety of members and the security of the Capitol”.

Trump survived his second impeachment trial – the only president to face the process twice – on Saturday, after Democrat prosecutors failed to secure the two-thirds majority needed to convict him.

The vote split largely along party lines, with the seven Republicans joining the Senate’s 48 Democrats and two independents in voting to convict.

The senior Republican in Congress, Senator Mitch McConnell, had voted against conviction on constitutional grounds, but after the vote declared Trump “responsible” for the assault on the Capitol.

Also read:Erdogan accuses US of backing PKK

Previous Story

Erdogan accuses US of backing PKK

Next Story

Nehru Centre to host Pietersen, Swarup online chat shows soon

Latest from -Top News

UN slams resumption of Houthi attacks

In the first such incidents for more than six months, the Yemeni group seized and then scuttled two Liberian-flagged bulk carriers operated by Greek shipping firms, leaving four seafarers presumed dead and

Aboulela awarded PEN Pinter prize

Born to an Egyptian mother and Sudanese father, Aboulela grew up in a Khartoum where British colonial echoes mingled with the call to prayer Sudanese-British novelist Leila Aboulela has been named winner

Afghans Flood Home, UN Sounds Alarm

UNHCR head in Afghanistan, Arafat Jamal, said that the country is not well prepared to receive this influx of returnees…reports Asian Lite news The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has raised

Bangladesh-US Talks Hit a Wall

Bangladesh is among the first nations to return to the negotiating table following Trump’s July 7 letter addressed to 14 countries….reports Asian Lite News The second round of three-day tariff talks between

India Doubles Down on Indo-Pacific

India reaffirms its strategic commitment to a free, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific under the SAGAR vision…reports Asian Lite Newsa India has reaffirmed its growing engagement in the Indo-Pacific, guided by its SAGAR
Go toTop