Pelosi mulls committee to investigate U.S. Capitol attack

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to announce this week whether she will create a select committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, her spokesperson tweeted. Several news outlets, including CBS News, initially reported that Pelosi had told some House Democrats that she would create a committee to investigate the attack, citing a source familiar with her comments.   

This comes after Senate Republicans last month blocked what had been considered a bipartisan effort to create an independent 9/11-style commission.

The difference between an independent commission and a select committee is that Democrats will have control of the committee, although it will have the same party breakdown of members as an independent commission. Select committees are created by a resolution to conduct investigations or consider measures, usually on a specific topic. 

Previous select committees were created to investigate incidents such as the 2012 Benghazi attack and the 1987 Iran-Contra scandal.

Both parties initially called for the creation of an independent, 9/11-style commission to investigate the January 6 attack. Five people died in the melee, including a Capitol police officer whose death was later ruled to be caused by natural causes.

A bipartisan bill passed the Democrat-controlled House in May, but it failed to pass the GOP-controlled Senate. Five senators — Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse — voted with Democrats, all but one of whom voted to impeach former President Trump in February over his actions on January 6.