Pelosi: 'We Must Get to the Truth' of How Attack Happened

Donald Trump was acquitted in his second impeachment trial Saturday—but the congressional investigation of the insurrection he was accused of inciting is only just beginning. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to House Democrats Monday that the "next step" will be an independent 9/11 Commission-style review of the Capitol attack and its causes, Politico reports. Pelosi said the impeachment trial and the findings of retired Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, who led a review of Capitol security, made it clear that Congress must "get to the truth" of the Jan. 6 "domestic terrorist attack upon the United States Capitol Complex" and the facts "relating to the interference with the peaceful transfer of power."

Pelosi said the commission would also look into the preparedness and response of the Capitol Police and other agencies. Establishing the commission will probably require legislation, but there is strong bipartisan support for the move, the AP reports. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally who voted for acquittal, acknowledged Sunday that the former president bore some responsibility for the attack. "His behavior after the election was over the top," Graham said. "We need a 9/11 commission to find out what happened and make sure it never happens again." Sen. Bill Cassidy, one of seven Republicans who voted to convict, predicted that when Americans hear all the facts, "more folks will move to where I was." (More Capitol riot stories.)