House approves bill creating commission to probe US Capitol riots

US House of Representatives, on Wednesday, approved the establishment of a commission to investigate the January 6 riots at the US Capitol. 

The final voting outcome in the House stood at 252-175, giving the legislation a way to the US Senate, where GOP leaders seem to have consensus against the bill.

35 lawmakers of the Republican party reportedly crossed party lines and voted in favour of the legislation, which aims to dig deeper into the events that unfolded at the US Capitol premises on January 6, 2021.

Also Read: Capitol riots: Jon Schaffer, Iced Earth guitarist, first to plead guilty

The majority of GOP members in the House attempted to downplay the violent situation that erupted at the US Capitol only a few months before. The US Capitol was attacked by a mob, filled with supporters of former US President Donald Trump, to stop the certification of votes after US President Joe Biden was declared as the winner of the 2020 presidential elections.

Trump, who occupied the White House at the time, along with many other conservative leaders claimed that the elections were rigged and fraudulent while pushing the phrase “Stop the steal” among their supporters.

The Capitol riots, which according to The New York Times resulted in the death of five people, later triggered an impeachment trial in the US Senate against Trump. However, the trial was unsuccessful in impeaching the former President due to limited GOP support.

Moreover, Trump was banned from various social media platforms like Twitter for allegedly “inciting violence” in the minds of Americans.