National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 409, I call up the bill (H.R. 3233) to establish the National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3233, the National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act.
On January 6, the world watched Americans storm the Capitol and engage in violence to try and intimidate and prevent Congress from carrying out its constitutional duty to certify a Presidential election, a solemn process central to the peaceful transfer of power in our democracy.
Many of us sitting here today were rushed out of this very Chamber by Capitol Police to safety as violent attackers roamed the halls, hunting for our colleagues and the Vice President.
I was in the gallery that day watching the debate when this temple of our democracy was desecrated and debased.
At least one Capitol Police officer died because of the violence that day. Others died, too.
And there were extensive injuries associated with the attacks, not the least of which was the body blow to Americans' confidence that the reforms undertaken after the 9/11 terrorist attacks would make us more secure.
Like the 9/11 attacks, the events of January 6 have cast a long shadow on our country. And like the 9/11 attacks, the January 6 attack raises fundamental questions about information sharing, coordination, preparedness, and response at all levels of government.
We need a bipartisan commission made up of experts to come together to give us an unvarnished view of what happened that day, examine why our systems failed, and develop bipartisan recommendations for reform to address any identified gaps.
I am proud to be here with my partner on the Homeland Security Committee, the gentleman from New York, John Katko, to debate a bill that establishes a 10-member commission that mirrors the 9/11 Commission, the gold standard for bipartisan commissions.
The January 6 commission would be required to investigate and report on the facts and causes of the attack, including relevant contributing factors.
A commission of this nature, in some form, has been talked about by Members of Congress, national security experts, and others for some time now. Over the past 4 months, discussion drafts have been circulated, pros and cons have been weighed, and obstacles have been overcome to get us to this day.
Given how politically charged the events of January 6 have become, we need to come together in a patriotic, bipartisan way and approve this independent body just as we created the 9/11 Commission.
The 9/11 Commission acted, not out of partisanship, but out of patriotism. We need that same sense of duty today.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, let me just say to the ranking member, this won't be the last time that we put together legislation for the good of this country, I assure you of that.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Torres), the vice chair of the Homeland Security Committee.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining?
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Barragan).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a listing of national security, military, and elected officials, former Members of Congress, U.S. Attorneys, diplomats, all who have specific expertise in this matter before the body today.
Letter From Former Senior National Security, Military, and Elected Officials Calling On Congress To Create A Bipartisan 1/6 Commission
Dear Members of Congress: We are former senior national security, military, and elected officials who have represented or served Democrats, Republicans, or administrations of both parties. We write to encourage this Congress to establish an independent and bipartisan national commission to investigate the January 6th assault of the U.S. Capitol Complex and its direct causes, and to make recommendations to prevent future assaults and strengthen the resilience of our democratic institutions.
We also write to you with great urgency in light of what we collectively see as an exigent and growing threat. The events of January 6th exposed severe vulnerabilities in the nation's preparedness for preventing and responding to domestic terrorist attacks. The immediate security failings that permitted a lethal breach of the Capitol Complex by armed extremists raise serious questions and demand immediate solutions.
But January 6th was also the result of complex national security threats. These include coordinated disinformation campaigns, nontransparent financing of extremist networks, potential foreign influences, and white supremacist violent extremism, which the Department of Homeland Security identified in an October 2020 report as among ``the most persistent and lethal threat[s] in the Homeland.'' As FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to you recently, ``January 6th was not an isolated event. The problem of domestic terrorism has been metastasizing across the country for a long time now and it's not going away anytime soon.'' Understanding how these forces culminated in an attack on the infrastructure of our democracy is critical to preventing future attacks.
In the wake of September 11th, the administration and Congress jointly acknowledged that the attack's causes were complex and that an independent and well-equipped national commission was an essential tool to aid the federal government. Congressional inquiries, law enforcement activities, and a national commission not only worked in parallel, but critically complemented each other's necessary work. An independent commission should not supplant the ongoing work by the legislative and executive branches, but it can uniquely support them by providing comprehensive and expert recommendations for Congress to act upon.
Commissions--properly empowered, resourced, and led--can establish a full picture of events and an analysis of their causes, from which nonpartisan recommendations can authoritatively flow. With dedicated time, resources, and expert staffing, they can also exclusively focus on the matter at hand over an appropriate time horizon. Given the gravity of January 6th as a national security matter--the violent disruption to the transition of power and the continuing threat of future attacks--a national commission examining the lead up to the January 6th assault, and the attendant security lapses, is not only appropriate, but a critical component of the national response.
A failure to deploy the full suite of tools available to fully understand January 6th and address its causes will leave the Capitol, and the nation, vulnerable to future attacks. In bipartisan fashion, we have successfully marshaled these tools before, and we implore you to do so once again. Sincerely,
(Note: All titles are former positions or military ranks held prior to retirement.)
Javed Ali, Senior Director for Counterterrorism, National Security Council.
Thad Allen, Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard; Commandant of the Coast Guard.
Wendy R. Anderson, Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Defense.
Daniel Baer, U.S. Ambassador; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
Brian Baird, U.S. Representative, 1999-2011.
Daniella Ballou-Aares, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State.
Rand Beers, Acting Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Deputy Homeland Security Advisor.
John Bellinger, Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State; Legal Advisor, National Security Council.
Tatyana Bolton, Cyber Policy Lead--Senior Policy Analyst, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Charles Boustany, U.S. Representative, 2005-2017.
Steven Browning, U.S. Ambassador; Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
Todd F. Buchwald, U.S. Ambassador, Office of Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State.
Sharon Burke, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy.
Daniel Byman, Professional Staff Member, 9/11 Commission.
Piper Campbell, U.S. Ambassador; Head U.S. Mission to ASEAN.
Kevin Carroll, Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security; Senior Counsel to the House Homeland Security Committee.
J.E. Cartwright, General, U.S. Marine Corps; Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Steven Cash, Chief Counsel, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein; Intelligence Officer, CIA; Assistant District Attorney, New York.
Michael Chertoff, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Peter Chiarelli, General, U.S. Army, 32nd Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.
James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence.
William Cohen, Secretary, U.S. Department of Defense.
Tom Coleman, U.S. Representative, 1976-1993.
Gary Corn, Colonel, U.S. Army, Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Cyber Command.
Thomas Countryman, Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation.
Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador.
George Croner, Litigation Counsel, National Security Agency; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice.
Carlos Curbelo, U.S. Representative, 2015-2019.
John Danforth, U.S. Senator, 1976-1995.
J. Michael Daniel, Special Assistant to President Obama and Cybersecurity Coordinator.
Tom Daschle, U.S. Senator, 1987-2005.
Greg Delawie, U.S. Ambassador.
Charles W. Dent, U.S. Representative, 2005-2018.
Murray Dickman, Chief of Staff to the Attorney General.
David Durenberger, U.S. Senator, 1978-1995.
R.P. Eddy, Director, National Security Council; Chief of Staff, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N.
Eric Edelman, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy.
Mickey Edwards, U.S. Representative, 1977-1993; Chair, House Republican Policy Committee, 1989-1993.
Susan Elliott, U.S. Ambassador.
Jeffrey Feltman, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs; U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
Brenner Fissell, Appellate Counsel, Guantanamo Bay Military Commissions.
Emil Frankel, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation.
Charles Fried, Solicitor General of the United States.
Francis Fukuyama, Deputy Director, Policy Planning, U.S. Department of State.
Kim Fuller, U.S. Department of the Army, Director of International Affairs (Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary).
Larry Garber, USAID Mission Director, West Bank/Gaza.
Richard Gephardt, U.S. Representative, 1977-2005.
Stuart Gerson, Acting Attorney General of the U.S.; Assistant Attorney General; U.S. Air Force Counterintelligence Officer.
Glenn Gerstell, General Counsel, National Security Agency.
James Glassman, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
Kevin Green, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy.
Nina Hachigian, U.S. Ambassador.
Chuck Hagel, Secretary, U.S. Department of Defense.
Morton Halperin, Director, Policy Planning, U.S. Department of State.
Jane Harman, U.S. Representative, 1993-1991, 2001-2011.
Gary Hart, U.S. Senator, 1975-1987.
Luke Hartig, Senior Director for Counterterrorism, National Security Council.
Michael V. Hayden, General, U.S. Air Force; Director, CIA; Director, NSA.
Jason Healey, Director, Critical Infrastructure Protection, Homeland Security Council.
Margaret Henoch, CIA Senior Intelligence Service.
Rush D. Holt, U.S. Representative, 1999-2015.
Cameron Hume, U.S. Ambassador.
Gordon Humphrey, U.S. Senator, 1979-1991.
Paul Douglas Humphries, CIA.
Carol Humphries, CIA, Captain, U.S. Navy Reserve.
Bob Inglis, U.S. Representative, 1993-1999, 2005-2011.
Steve Israel, U.S. Representative, 2001-2017.
Jeh Johnson, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Susan Koch, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Threat Reduction Policy.
Jim Kolbe, U.S. Representative, 1985-2007.
David J. Kramer, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights & Labor.
David Laufman, Chief of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section in the National Security Division, U.S. Department of Justice.
J. William Leonard, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Security & Information Operations).
Jason Lewis-Berry, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of State.
Andrew Liepman, Deputy Director, National Counterrorism Center; Deputy Director, CIA/Counterterrorism Center; Director, Office of Iraq Analysis; Deputy Director, Weapons Intelligence Non Proliferation and Arms Control Center.
Robert Litt, General Counsel, Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
George Little, Press Secretary, Pentagon; Spokesman, CIA.
James Loy, Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard; Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard; Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Lewis Lukens, U.S. Ambassador.
Michael McFaul, Ambassador; Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council.
Steven McGann, U.S. Ambassador.
Dennis McGinn, Vice Admiral, U.S. Navy; Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
Joseph Medina, Brigadier General, U.S. Marine Corps.
Christopher Mellon, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.
Connie Morella, U.S. Representative, 2003-2006; U.S. Ambassador.
Janet Napolitano, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Elizabeth Neumann, Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism and Threat Prevention, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Suzanne Nossel, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
William Owens, Admiral, U.S. Navy; Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Christopher Painter, Coordinator for Cyber Issues, U.S. Department of State.
William Perry, Secretary of Defense.
Larry Pfeiffer, Chief of Staff, CIA; Senior Director, White House Situation Room.
Annie Pforzheimer, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Afghanistan.
Randal Phillips, Senior Intelligence Service, CIA.
William Piekney, Senior Operations Manager, CIA.
Steven Pifer, Senior Foreign Service Officer; U.S. Ambassador.
Tony Pipa, Chief Strategy Officer, USAID.
Marc Polymeropoulos, Senior Intelligence Service, Directorate of Operations, CIA.
Allison Price, Senior Spokesperson, U.S. Department of Justice.
Deborah Pryce, U.S. Representative, 1993-2009.
Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor.
Thomas Ridge, Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Denver Riggleman, U.S. Representative, 2019-2021.
Thomas B. Robertson, U.S. Ambassador.
Tim Roemer, 9/11 Commissioner; U.S. Ambassador; U.S. Representative, 1991-2003.
Michael Rogers, Admiral, U.S. Navy; Commander, U.S. Cyber Command; Director, National Security Agency.
Todd Rosenblum, Deputy Under Secretary of Intelligence, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Paul Rosenzweig, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Nicholas Rostow, Legal Advisor to the National Security Council; Staff Director, U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
Joel Rubin, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
Nilmini Rubin, Director, National Security Council.
David Scheffer, U.S. Ambassador.
Robert Shanks, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice; General Counsel, Overseas Private Investment Corporation; General Counsel, Peace Corps.
Christopher Shays, U.S. Representative, 1987-2009.
Douglas Silliman, U.S. Ambassador.
John Sipher, Senior Intelligence Service, CIA Clandestine Service.
Peter Smith, U.S. Representative, 1989-1991.
Suzanne Spaulding, Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Strobe Talbott, Deputy Secretary of State.
Miles Taylor, Chief of Staff, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Tomicah Tillemann, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State; Speechwriter to the Secretary of State.
Kurt Tong, U.S. Ambassador.
Olivia Troye, Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence.
Stanley A. Twardy, Jr., United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, 1985-1991.
Alexander Vershbow, NATO Deputy Secretary General; Assistant Secretary of Defense; U.S. Ambassador.
Alexander Vindman, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army; Director for European Affairs, National Security Council.
Edward Walker, U.S. Ambassador; Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs.
James Walsh, U.S. Representative, 1989-2009.
Zach Wamp, U.S. Representative, 1995-2011.
Thomas Warrick, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism Policy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
William Wechsler, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Special Operations and Combatting Terrorism.
Pamela White, U.S. Ambassador.
Christine Todd Whitman, Governor of New Jersey; Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Jonathan Winer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Law Enforcement; Special Envoy for Libya.
Tim Wirth, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs; U.S. Senator, 1987-1993; U.S. Representative, 1975-1987.
Lawrence Wilkerson, Colonel, U.S. Army; Chief of Staff, U.S. Secretary of State.
Douglas H. Wise, CIA Senior Intelligence Service; Deputy Director, Defense Intelligence Agency.
Tamara Cofman Wittes, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.
Stephen N. Xenakis, Brigadier General, U.S. Army.
Marie Yovanovitch, U.S. Ambassador.
Dov S. Zakheim, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller).
Peter D. Zimmerman, Chief Scientist, Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Chief Scientific Advisor, US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency; Science Advisor for Arms Control, U.S. Department of State.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a joint statement from Governor Tom Kean and former Congressman Lee Hamilton in support of this commission. [From Issue One] Joint Statement from Governor Tom Kean and Congressman Lee Hamilton, Chairman and Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission
``We very strongly urge House Members to support H.R. 3233, the bipartisan National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex. That bill would create a 9/11 style commission to investigate the January 6th assault on the U.S. Capitol. That was a dark day in American history, one of the darkest.
``As Chairman and Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission, unity of purpose was key to the effectiveness of the group. We put country above party, without bias, the events before, during and after the attack. We sought to understand our vulnerabilities in order to prevent future attacks or future acts of terrorism.
Today, democracy faces a new threat. The January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was one of the darkest days in the history of our country. Americans deserve an objective and an accurate account of what happened. As we did in the wake of September 11, it's time to set aside partisan politics and come together as Americans in common pursuit of truth and justice.''
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke)
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from Protect Democracy, Ian Bassin, Executive Director. Protect Democracy, Washington, DC, May 19, 2021. Protect Democracy Urges Representatives to Support H.R. 3233, the National Commission To Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act
Dear Representative: On January 6th the very foundations of our democracy--and our Congress and Capitol that lie at its heart--came under attack. More than 130 days later, Members of Congress, their staff, and their constituents are still struggling to come together to understand what happened and how to prevent it from ever happening again.
We strongly urge you to vote in favor of H.R. 3233, the National Commission to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol Complex Act, which would establish an independent national commission to comprehensively investigate the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol Complex.
This bipartisan bill is a measured and thoughtful response to the attack. It will bring together a bipartisan group of experts to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding the January 6th attack. The Commission is structured to ensure it is a bipartisan endeavor: all reports must be agreed to by a majority of Commission members and the Commission may only issue subpoenas upon an agreement between the Chair and the Vice Chair or a vote by a majority of Commission members.
The Commission will build on the work that has begun in various congressional committees to gather information and hold hearings on the attack. It will not intefere with those ongoing efforts nor will it delay immediate security fixes to the Capitol Complex.
By creating this Commission, Congress can assure the American people, and all who work in the Capitol Complex, that these events and the circumstances leading up to them are thoroughly investigated outside of the pressured and partisan environment of Congress itself.
We are grateful to Chairman Bennie Thompson and Ranking Member John Katko for their leadership in advancing this critical legislation, and we urge continued bipartisan support for the bill. Today marks an important milestone toward seeking a shared understanding, protecting our cherished freedoms, and restoring faith in government.
Sincerely, Ian Bassin, Executive Director, Protect Democracy.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, we have had a number of my colleagues come before us encouraging this body to support this commission and this legislation. They have spoken valiantly in support of it. They have put their hearts and souls into making sure that it is correct and proper.
I am happy, again, to share with my colleague from New York. I appreciate working with him, and I appreciate the ability to work out our differences. I think it should be part of the role model for future legislation in this body.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi.
Mr. Speaker, I am not going to argue with the previous speaker. I just say: Read the bill. And if you read the bill, you will understand it is a bipartisan bill.
It is not a partisan bill; it is absolutely bipartisan. The staff will be picked just like the staff was picked for the 9/11 Commission. It is just like the earlier bill the ranking member talked about, the Rodney Davis bill.
We looked, Mr. Speaker, at this issue because the world saw what happened on January 6, and it is clear that we put together a bipartisan bill for the good of the country. It is in that spirit that we are here today.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman).
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
At the outset, let me salute Mr. Katko for his agreeing to work in a bipartisan manner so that we can get this bill to the floor and adopted today.
Mr. Speaker, we are here today at a unique moment in American history. Trust in our government's ability to share information and coordinate at all levels to keep our democracy secure was severely shaken by the January 6 attack.
We need a bipartisan commission with experts who put country ahead of party to come together, just as the commission did, to lay out the facts and proposed solutions to make us more secure.
When the chairman of the 9/11 Commission issued their final report, they concluded a message to the public. It asked that each of us remember how we felt on that day of the attack. It asked that we recall the grief and sorrow.
This moment is no less historic, no less important, no less momentous, and it requires the same common action, both as Congress and as a country.
I, too, salute the brave men and women of the Capitol Police who put their lives on the line on January 6 protecting this citadel of democracy, and it is in their spirit that I ask that you vote in support of this legislation.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source