The vote likely snuffs out the creation of a panel Democrats and some Republicans have called vital to understanding what led to the violent attempt to disrupt the transfer of power to President Joe Biden. GOP leaders have contended the commission could duplicate existing efforts by the Justice Department and congressional committees to investigate the pro-Trump mob attack, which led to five deaths, including that of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.
Sicknick s mother met with a handful of Republican senators on Thursday and pushed them to support the commission.
Republicans have tried to divert attention from the insurrection which Trump s 2020 election conspiracy theories helped to fuel as they look to regain control of Congress in next year s midterms. Top GOP lawmakers, particularly in the House, have aimed to tamp down criticism of Trump, who remains the most popular figure in the Republican Party.