Suozzi And Problem Solvers Caucus Help Deliver 35 Republican Votes For Bipartisan Commission To Investigate January 6 Insurrection

Press Release

Suozzi witnessed and videoed the insurrection from the House Chamber as gun shots rang out

Today, Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-Long Island, Queens), the Vice-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, helped deliver 35 votes from Republicans to support the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6th Capitol Attacks and the influencing factors that provoked the attacks. Before the Problem Solvers Caucus announced their support for the commission, news reports indicated that the vote to form the commission may have been along party lines.

Suozzi watched the insurrection unfold from his seat in the House Chamber and heard the deadly gunshot, saw windows broken, and witnessed insurrectionists handcuffed on the ground as he and other members were evacuated by Capital Police. Firsthand videos recorded by Suozzi that day are found here.

"Our nation deserves the truth. Anything standing in the way of that truth further fuels misinformation and divisiveness. The formation of the commission is bipartisan in nature, and even includes requests made by dozens of Republicans in Congress," said Suozzi. "We must get to the bottom of what happened on January 6th, and I'm confident this commission will do just that in a fair, bipartisan way."

During the January 6th attacks, Suozzi and Members of Congress were voting to certify the results of the 2020 Presidential election. The violence that day resulted in the death of a U.S. Capitol Police Officer and 4 civilians, injuries to police officers, and rapid support response from federal, state, and local entities.

On February 4, 2021, the Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing titled "Examining the Domestic Terrorism Threat in the Wake of the Attack on the U.S. Capitol," and received testimony regarding the attack and how the circumstances demanded a bipartisan investigation by counterterrorism experts. Since that time, there has been a steady, bipartisan call for the creation of a 9/11-style commission, comprised of a group of non-partisan experts to get to the truth of how the January 6 assault happened.

Key features of the Commission:

A 10-person bipartisan commission. Commissioners must have significant expertise in the areas of law enforcement, civil rights, civil liberties, privacy, intelligence, and cybersecurity. Current government officials cannot serve on the commission

Investigate and report upon the facts and causes of the January 6th attack on the Capitol as well as the influencing factors that may have provoked the attack on our democracy;

Examine and evaluate evidence developed by relevant Federal, State, and local governments, in a manner that is respectful of ongoing investigations, regarding the facts and circumstances of the attack;

Build upon other investigations regarding the attack and targeted violence and domestic terrorism related to such attack; and

Report to the President and Congress regarding its findings, conclusions, and recommendations for corrective measures taken to prevent future acts of targeted violence and domestic terrorism, including against American democratic institutions, improve the security posture of the United States Capitol Complex in a manner that preserves the accessibility of the Capitol Complex for all Americans, and strengthen the security and resilience of nation and American democratic institutions against domestic terrorism.

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