Fear of Trump has Republicans dragging their feet on investigating the Capitol riot: report

Democratic lawmakers hoping to launch multiple investigations into the Jan 6th Capitol riot that led to members of the Senate and House from both parties fearing for their lives, are seeing their efforts to proceed thwarted by Republicans who fear the wrath of Donald Trump who still wields considerable influence with GOP voters.

According to a report from the Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian, "Congress's pursuit of an independent investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection is facing long odds, as bipartisan resolve to hold the perpetrators and instigators accountable erodes, and Republicans face sustained pressure to disavow that it was supporters of former president Donald Trump who attacked the U.S. Capitol."

The report notes that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has drafted a proposal for a commission but it has received pushback from Republicans because it is "... too narrow in scope and too heavily weighted toward Democrats in composition."

By "scope," the report notes, Republicans want the commission to also look into antifa, a movement that had no part in the Capitol riot that followed a rightwing "Stop the Steal" rally where Donald Trump addressed the crowd.

"Initial negotiations aimed at establishing an independent commission in the style of the panel that investigated the Sept. 11 attacks ran aground earlier this year after Republican leaders insisted that it scrutinize left-wing extremism — including the amorphous Antifaa movement that Trump and other conservatives have blamed for fomenting violence in D.C. and other cities — alongside the far-right and white nationalist groups suspected of having planned or encouraged the mayhem," the Post is reporting. "Democrats resisted, accusing the GOP of trying to distract the public from the fact that extremist groups in the Republican base were responsible for the riot."

What also worries Republicans is how Donald Trump will react to disclosures during the investigation which could lead to the former president,who could be implicated, into lashing out at his own party for not squashing the commission -- particularly if findings come out just prior to the 2022 midterms.

Noting the delay in setting up the congressional 9/11 commission, the Post report adds, "Congress would not set up an independent Jan. 6 commission until next spring, when the 2022 midterm elections season will be heading into primaries where Trump has pledged to play a selective, but active, campaigning role. That alone threatens the prospects for achieving the compromise Pelosi has called for."

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