They'll investigate Jan. 6 with or without Republicans

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Now that the Jan. 6 commission has failed, what does that mean for our country? In the short term, Democrats are expected to hold their own investigation. Uncovering all of the facts surrounding the attack is vital, because without truth and accountability, we have no deterrent to future would-be insurrectionists bent on overthrowing elections. More troubling is that, since the attack, no serious effort has been undertaken to address the true cause—the false conviction that the election was stolen from Donald Trump, a lie invented and spread by Trump himself. Even more serious is that no one knows what effect Trump's lies about the election will have on our country in the long-term. It is no small thing that millions of Americans lost their faith in the integrity of our elections. Establishing a commission to uncover the facts surrounding Jan. 6 was supposed to be the first step in educating the country about the election lies freely spread by Trump and their violent consequences. Without
the commission, thanks to congressional Republicans, our country and our democracy are at greater risk for future attacks. —Bryant Holloway, Program Associate, Stand Up Republic

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** Now what?
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Since Senate Republicans blocked the formation of an independent commission to study the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, House Democrats have agitated for a fallback plan. On a Democratic caucus call on Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she is prepared to create a House select committee to replace the commission. Other ideas mentioned include a second vote on the commission bill in the Senate, or the appointment of a special counsel by the Department of Justice. The only proposal Pelosi categorically ruled out was a presidential commission, because it would lack subpoena authority or funding. ([link removed])
* — Select committees have long been convened on issues relating to corruption and cover-up, from the Watergate investigation to the Benghazi terrorist attacks. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn is supportive of the idea. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also has extended his endorsement, saying it is "better to investigate with a select committee than not investigate" at all. ([link removed])
*
* — The committee would likely focus on the same lines of inquiry that an independent commission would—a forensic examination into the root causes of the attack, the ex-president's conduct as his supporters stormed the Capitol and threatened to hang former Vice President Mike Pence, as well as any potential ties between Donald Trump and the rioters. ([link removed])
*
* — The work of a select committee could still be stymied by Republicans afraid of being found complicit ahead of the 2022 midterm elections. But House Democrats have remained largely undeterred. "If Republicans won't join us to protect our democracy, we have an obligation to do it ourselves," said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández of the House Administration Committee. —The Guardian ([link removed])

MORE: George Conway: Republican senators managed to outdo themselves in cowardice —The Washington Post ([link removed])


** Infrastructure deal inches forward
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President Biden and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito had a "constructive and frank" discussion about U.S. infrastructure at the White House yesterday, as Democrats and Republicans struggle to reach a bipartisan deal. The primary barrier? The two sides still don't agree on the definition of "infrastructure." Capito, the lead Senate Republican negotiator, unveiled a $928 billion counteroffer proposal last week that doesn't include funding for schools and home healthcare, as Biden's broader $1.7 trillion proposal does. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, meanwhile, has suggested repurposing unused funding appropriated for COVID-19 relief for infrastructure. Biden and Capito will meet again tomorrow for further negotiations. —Reuters ([link removed])

MORE: Time could be running out for infrastructure deal —The Washington Post ([link removed])


** Kurtzer, Miller & Simon: What's next for Netanyahu?
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"Netanyahu will not simply disappear into an Israeli Mar-a-Lago. He will go into the opposition, where he'll preside over the largest and most coherent political party in the country with a band of still-loyal followers. Netanyahu's trial for bribery, fraud, and breach of trust will continue, most likely for months, all while he seeks to pressure right-wing members of the new government and works to secure its collapse. If and when it does, Netanyahu—still the most dominant and skilled politician in a country where 72% voted for right-wing parties in the most recent election—may be well-positioned to pick up the pieces." —Daniel Kurtzer, Aaron David Miller & Steven Simon in ([link removed]) Politico ([link removed])

Daniel Kurtzer is a former U.S. ambassador to Israel and the S. Daniel Abraham professor of Middle East policy studies at Princeton University. Aaron David Miller is a former State Department Middle East analyst and negotiator and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment. Steven Simon previously served on the National Security Council and at the State Department and is a professor of international relations at Colby College.

MORE: Benjamin Netanyahu calls to block Israel's newly formed coalition —BBC News ([link removed])


** REvil did it
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JBS, the world's largest meat processing company, has resumed most production after a weekend ransomware attack, which targeted company operations in North America and Australia. It is not known if JBS paid a ransom, as Colonial Pipeline did last month following a similar breach. Late yesterday, the FBI blamed the attack on REvil, an increasingly active Russian-speaking hacking group. "I can assure you that we are raising this through the highest levels of the U.S. government," White House Press Sec. Jen Psaki said in response to the FBI statement. "The president certainly believes that President Putin has a role to play in stopping and preventing these attacks." —NPR ([link removed])

MORE: Biden will confront Vladimir Putin about ransomware as cyberattacks increase in U.S. —USA Today ([link removed])
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** Parks: Arizona audit is a disinformation blueprint
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"The audit is a perfect example of how false information can be used to fuel more false information in a seemingly never-ending cycle. A recent Fox News poll found that 82% of Trump voters believe that illegal voting is a 'major threat' to the stability of the U.S., even though election fraud has never been revealed to be a widespread issue in American politics. Those fears were surely amplified by Trump's false rhetoric around election security last year. Now Republican lawmakers are using those fears to justify major changes to state voting laws, as many officials feared they would." —Miles Parks on ([link removed]) NPR ([link removed])

Miles Parks is an NPR reporter based in Washington, covering voting and elections.

MORE: Push to review 2020 votes across U.S. an effort to 'handcuff' democracy —The Guardian ([link removed])


** Focus on the DOJ's foreign lobbying probe
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The Justice Department is investigating the work of a U.S. consulting firm, Blue Star Strategies, for potential illegal lobbying—and this time, the firm isn't connected to Donald Trump. Much of the DOJ's recent scrutiny of foreign efforts to influence domestic politics has focused on Republican operatives. The Blue Star investigation shows that enhanced enforcement may create legal jeopardy for Democratic-aligned individuals and firms as well. ([link removed])
* — Blue Star is a Washington-based lobbying and public affairs firm that has worked on a host of major above-board endeavors. In 2015, the firm took on the troubled Ukrainian energy company Burisma as a client, and the firm's co-founders met with U.S. government officials as part of their work for the company. ([link removed])
*
* — The problem is that Blue Star didn't disclose that Burisma was a client in any federal lobbying databases. That means it failed to comply with the Foreign Agents Registration Act, a law that requires Americans to disclose lobbying and public affairs work for foreign officials and political parties. ([link removed])
*
* — Heightening the intrigue is that President Biden's son Hunter was serving on the board at Burisma at the time. There is no indication that the younger Biden is a target of the DOJ's investigation, and one of Blue Star's co-founders testified that he did not direct any of the firm's work for Burisma. Nevertheless, the probe is sure to draw more attention for the connection. Stay tuned. —Politico ([link removed])

MORE: Federal prosecutors looking into whether Gaetz obstructed justice —Politico ([link removed])


** Rubin: All talk, no action
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"If the Biden Administration and Democrats are going to make good on their promise to use every tool to defend voting rights, they need a deliberate strategy for turning the tide in the Senate and a comprehensive litigation approach. So far, we have not seen either." —Jennifer Rubin in The Washington Post ([link removed])

Jennifer Rubin is an attorney and political opinion columnist at The Washington Post.

MORE: Supreme Court ruling in Arizona case will be another front in the voting rights wars —CNN ([link removed])

In our not-too-distant past, there were two Republican politicians who displayed courage, not by words, but by actual deeds. Former President George H.W. Bush enlisted in the U.S. Navy after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan. At age 19, he became one of the youngest pilots in naval history. He flew 58 combat missions and survived being shot down. Former Sen. John McCain also was a naval aviator, who flew multiple combat missions during the Vietnam War. After being shot down, he endured years of captivity and torture as a POW.

I don't see similar courage in most of our current Republican politicians. They seem to be in fear of a self-proclaimed hero who, during his single term as our 45th president, once said that he would have rushed unarmed into a school to confront a mass shooter. Apparently, however, due to painful bone spurs, he was unable to serve in our armed forces during the Vietnam War. He also proclaimed himself the winner, by a landslide, of the 2020 presidential election, despite there being no evidence to support his claim.

Words can be powerful, but if they have no basis in reality, they are meaningless. Posing as patriots who have sworn to protect our country from enemies both foreign and domestic is not the same thing as actually being patriots. —Bill M., Pennsylvania
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** The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.
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