Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Dean calls for 9/11-style commission
U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D4th Dist., on Sunday called for the creation of an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, similar to the one that was launched after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos, Dean, an impeachment manager in the Senate trial of former president Donald Trump, said America needs to know what happened during the Capitol riot so it never happens again.
“For the first time in however many years we had an insurrection incited by the president of the United States where five people died, and more people have died since then,” she said. “Hundreds were injured, People lost fingers, lost eyesight. The House was desecrated. The Capitol as desecrated. We need an impartial commission, not guided by politics, but filled with people who will stand up to the courage of their conviction.”
The commission would be modeled after a panel created in the aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy, which reviewed what caused the attack and made recommendations on how to prevent future attacks.
Dean said she was honored to be a part of the impeachment team of managers. She said that even though the final vote of 57 guilty
to 43 not guilty didn’t carry the needed two-thirds to convict, the case was presented expertly by Democrats.
“This was the most bipartisan impeachment in our country’s history,” she said. “I understand the American
people understand that Donald Trump was guilty of these crimes against our nation and against his constitutional oath. I give credit to the seven Republicans who stood with us, who followed the facts, who looked at the law, who looked at the evidence and found this president guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Dean said her team put
together a very strong case, despite no witnesses being called.
“Democracy is a precious thing and it’s fragile,” she said. “What we did – and I think we did it very well – is that we put forward the strongest case based on the evidence of the law and the responsibility of this president. The president just absolutely abandoned his oath.”
Dean refused to speculate on whether she thinks Trump should be charged criminally for his part in the insurrection against the nation.
“The House impeached this president a second time,” she said. “We should leave criminal charges to those expert at it.”
Dean said the most powerful moment she has ever had in politics was her listening to senators standing
up and voting.
“I was standing in the Chamber as the vote was taken,” she said. “Each senator stood and said his or her vote, either guilty or not guilty. It was powerful to hear 57 say guilty. But it was puzzling to see (Senate Minority Leader) Mitch McConnell vote not guilty, and stand and say minutes later that (Trump) was guilty of everything.”
Dean said history will remember in a negative way the 43 Senate Republicans who voted to acquit.
The Republicans who voted for conviction were Sens. Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania.