Sen. Lisa Murkowski Says Mitch McConnell Is Blocking Jan. 6 Commission For Political Gain

“Is that really what this is about, one election cycle after another?" the Alaska Republican said.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) expressed frustration Thursday with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) over his decision to block a commission to look into the violent Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by hundreds of Donald Trump supporters.  In an extraordinary meeting with reporters on Capitol Hill before an expected vote on the Jan. 6 commission, Murkowski took direct aim at the Kentucky Republican over his stated rationale for opposing the investigatory panel: that he would rather focus his party’s energy on President Joe Biden’s misdeeds to gain fodder for the 2022 midterm elections rather than risk alienating former President Trump and his supporters.  “To be making a decision for the short-term political gain at the expense of understanding and acknowledging what was in front of us on Jan. 6, I think we need to look at that critically. Is that really what this is about, one election cycle after another?” Murkowski said.