Jason Crow Says 'I Share That Question' on Whether Bipartisanship Dead After 1/6 Commission Blocked
Representative Jason Crow, a Colorado Democrat, suggested he's unsure whether bipartisanship is possible any longer after Senate Republicans blocked the bipartisan commission into the January 6 attack against the U.S. Capitol from moving forward Friday.
Republican leaders in Congress came out against the bipartisan commission, which would examine the events of the January 6 attack carried out by former President Donald Trump's supporters. Despite the opposition of GOP leaders, 35 House Republicans voted in favor of the commission as did six Senate Republicans. However, the legislation failed to pass the Senate due to the legislative filibuster—which would have required at least 10 Republicans to vote with Democrats.
During an interview with NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday, Crow was asked whether the failure of Congress to approve the bipartisan commission demonstrates that "bipartisanship is really dead on any issue?"
"Well, I share that question, I really do," Crow responded.
"I was there on January 6. You know that I made the call to my wife. I told her I loved her. I didn't know whether I would be able to make it out of that chamber like dozens of other members, like journalists, like police officers that were there—over 140 were beaten, one was killed, one later took his life. It was a terrible, brutal and violent day," the Democratic lawmaker said, describing the events of January 6.
Crow pointed out that many Republican colleagues previously took the attack seriously but now have transitioned to downplaying the actions of the pro-Trump rioters.
"I remember actually very specifically, hours after we had retaken the Capitol and gone in and recertified the election, [GOP House Minority Leader] Kevin McCarthy gets up on the House floor. We were all sitting there on the House floor. There's still the smell of tear gas and broken glass all over. And he gave this speech about how people held the breach against the mob and made sure the House chamber hadn't been taken. He actually called me out by name and several other members. And then you fast forward a couple of months, and it really wasn't a big deal. It's all about politics," Crow said.
Although the Democratic congressman described himself as "an optimist by nature," he said the influence that Trump holds over the Republican Party is "frankly very depressing."
McCarthy, who represents a California district, initially blamed Trump for the assault on the Capitol, but he later mended his ties with the former president. The Republican leader voiced his opposition to establishing the bipartisan commission, urging GOP lawmakers to vote against it.
"Given the political misdirections that have marred this process, given the now duplicative and potentially counterproductive nature of this effort, and given the Speaker's shortsighted scope that does not examine interrelated forms of political violence in America, I cannot support this legislation," McCarthy said earlier this month ahead of the House vote on the commission.
Newsweek reached out to McCarthy for further comment.
Trump's supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6 after the then president spent months lying about the 2020 election results. He baselessly claimed—and continues to insist—that President Joe Biden won the election through widespread voter fraud. These allegations have been thoroughly debunked, with dozens of election lawsuits challenging the results being dismissed or rejected in state and federal courts. Multiple audits and recounts have also reaffirmed Biden's win.
Ahead of the assault on the Capitol, Trump and other Republican allies held a rally near the White House. At that event, Trump told his supporters to "march" to the Capitol and to "fight like hell" to save the country. Hundreds proceeded to heed the directions of the then president.
