mollyfamwatU.S. Senate Majority Whip Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), a member of Senate leadership, predicted on Thursday that there aren’t 60 votes in the Senate to advance a bill to create a presidential commission on election integrity and cybersecurity to President Trump.
The Senate will not be voting on the bill to create a bipartisan, bi-partisan commission that will lead to the investigation of the 2012 terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya, today. That was the word from Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), who said Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) told him yesterday that the vote would not happen.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins spoke on Jan. 6 while addressing reporters with (from left) D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone, Sandra Garza, girlfriend of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, and Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn on Jan. 27, 2021 in Washington, D.C. for the establishment of the commission. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Republican Senator Susan Collins spoke to reporters after meeting with the girlfriend of deceased U.S. Police Officer Brian Siknick, Sandra Garza, U.S. Police Officer Harry Dunn and D.C. Metro Police Officer Michael Fanone. Siknick’s mother, Gladys Siknick, was not present at the meeting.
Ms. Collins spoke about her position on the committee and said that they are the reason why I am fighting so hard for this committee so that we can better understand the attack on our democracy and the heroic actions that were taken that day to save our lives and the lives of everyone who worked in the camp.
The Republican senator from Maine said she believes her amendment to fix the flaws in the House bill addresses the main objections to the bill, and that she has received the approval of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her amendment.
I hope we can get enough Republicans to pass the bill with this amendment. We owe a debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who defended our lives that day. And in some cases they did so at the risk of their own lives. That’s why it’s so important to me.
Collins is one of only three GOP senators who have expressed support for moving the legislation forward – Democrats need 10. Senate Republicans today.
Fanone said he came to tell lawmakers about his experience that day.
I want Congress to come together in a bipartisan way and help the cause on the 6th. January is really getting to the bottom of things. I think it’s necessary for us to heal from the trauma we all experienced that day, he said. That’s why I think it’s so important.
Garza says she’s frustrated with Republicans who still don’t support the committee.
I find it very disturbing that someone doesn’t want to support that, she said. Why don’t they want to get to the bottom of the causes of this terrible violence? They know they are here today, with their families and in a comfortable environment, thanks to the actions of law enforcement on this day. So I don’t understand why they don’t want to understand what happened that day and how it happened. It’s just a mystery to me.
Garza said she wanted the senators to remember Brian Siknick, Agent Liebengood and Agent Jeffrey Smith. They sacrificed their lives that day. They really did. Never mind that Brian’s cause of death was natural, she says, putting that word in quotes, natural.
Yet he died that day to protect her. And agent Liebengood and agent Smith. According to her, they died as a result of injuries sustained that day.
Garza says she still hopes her conversations with senators will change their minds.
mollyfamwat
