The role of the Congress in the U.S. presidential elections has been illustrated in the recent move on the Jan 6 Capitol attack investigations. According to our class lessons, the Congress is responsible for the counting of electoral votes at a joint meeting at the house of representatives, which is done on January 6. The past vote counting at the capital was interrupted by a group of people claiming election fraud. Carney presents the details on the Congress decisions regarding the Jan 6 attack in his article titled “This week: House to vote on January 6 Capitol attack commission”, published in The Hill (1). Four months after the attack, many Republicans attempted to alter the facts of the event, an issue that has alarmed lawmakers. The article highlights that the Congress is set to establish a commission, similar to the 9/11 one, to investigate the attack (Carney 1). In line with democracy, the commission is planned to be bi-partisan.
The January 6 attack revealed some weaknesses of the Capitol complex set to be addressed by the commission that will be established next week. As indicated in the article, $1.4 billion is proposed to address the weaknesses in the Capitol security system (Carney 1). In my opinion, the Congress should do everything in its power to restore sanctity in the U.S. electoral system. The fact that any individual can move rioters to interfere with the democratic process reveals how democracy has been undermined. The world is watching how the commission will address the Capitol attack and set the foundation for future elections in the U.S. Apart from addressing the interference with transfer of power, the commission should also focus on how the U.S. Capitol police are equipped and prepared to handle such attacks. My question on this matter is: why do some Republicans alter or downplay the facts of the January 6 attack?
Reference
Carney, Jordain. “This Week: House to Vote on Jan. 6 Capitol Attack Commission.” The Hill, 2021. Web.