Murkowski torches Mitch McConnell for blocking Jan. 6 commission for his own political gain

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) expressed her disapproval of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) decision to block the creation of a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.

During a meeting with Capitol Hill reporters, Murkowski admitted that she disapproved of McConnell's perspective on the Jan. 6 commission and his reason for obstructing the measure: "that he would rather focus his party's energy on President Joe Biden's misdeeds to gain fodder for the 2022 midterm elections rather than risk alienating former President Trump and his supporters," according to The HuffPost.

"To be making a decision for the short-term political gain at the expense of understanding and acknowledging what was in front of us on Jan. 6, I think we need to look at that critically. Is that really what this is about, one election cycle after another?" Murkowski said.

She added: "Or are we going to acknowledge that as a country that is based on these principles of democracy that we hold so dear. And one of those is that we have free and fair elections... I kind of want that to endure beyond just one election cycle."

Murkowski's remarks follow multiple other statements she has made speaking out against former President Donald Trump, his rhetoric, and the chaos that ensued amid the Capitol insurrection. While the publication notes that a substantial number of Republican lawmakers have deemed the effort to be a "partisan expedition," Murkowski has pushed back against this claim.

"I need to know. I think it's important for the country that there be an independent evaluation.... If you want to make this an independent commission, then, Leader, this is your opportunity. Pick the right people," Murkowski said.

"I guess now we'll never know," she added of unresolved questions about the Jan. 6 attack. "Isn't that part of the problem, that we'll never know? It'll never be resolved. It'll always be hanging out there."