The vote in the House over whether to create a “January 6th Commission” has ended. The bill passed, which is expected given who runs the chamber. What wasn’t as expected (or perhaps it was?) is that 35 Republicans joined hands with their Democrat colleagues, agreeing to walk headlong into a partisan buzzsaw.

This per The Daily Caller.

The House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would create a bipartisan, 9/11-style commission into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, with dozens of Republicans joining Democrats in a rebuke of GOP leadership.

The bill passed 252 to 175 with support from 35 Republicans, even though top GOP leaders opposed it and launched a last-ditch effort to convince its members to vote against it. It was authored by Mississippi Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson and New York Republican Rep. John Katko, the top lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee, and focuses solely on the Capitol riot instead of adopting a wider scope as some Republicans previously insisted.

Now, ask yourself what the purpose of this is. We already have an FBI investigation in conjunction with the DOJ. We have hundreds of arrests that have already been made. There are also multiple investigations going on in Congress at the committee level. What more do those who claim to be operating in good faith want to see? Executions on the street? Floggings?

There is no shortage of people and organizations looking into the events of January 6th. In fact, the DOJ and the judge handling the cases have gone to extraordinary lengths to punish those arrested, including denying bail over what amounts to trespassing in the majority of cases.

Of course, we know exactly why Democrats want this commission. With the country floundering, including economically and abroad, they need a distraction from Joe Biden’s failures. This commission fits that bill because it would allow them to draw this topic out until the 2022 election.

The real question is why exactly so many Republicans seem keen to play into their hands? Have they learned absolutely nothing after the last five years of weaponization of the government against the left’s political opponents? If the roles were reversed, not a single Democrat would have voted for this, but some Republicans, ever the virtue-signaling type, can never be counted on to be smart. Again, there are already investigations ongoing. This is not a matter of principle, something that Rep. Nancy Mace showed today in her common sense statement on the matter.

As we speak, 10 congressional committees and 4 federal agencies are investigating Jan. 6.

I am committed to holding those responsible accountable, but we do not need duplicate efforts to probe the insurrection w/ yet another federal panel. https://t.co/nW9iftSoTJ pic.twitter.com/pldu7C7CSm

— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) May 19, 2021

None of this should even be controversial on the right. There is zero justification for handing one’s enemy the weapon they seek to bludgeon you with. Democrats are not looking to actually find “answers.” They are simply wanting a wedge they can use against Republicans prior to the next election. The Mueller investigation fit the exact same bill prior to the 2018 mid-terms.

Further, in the grand scheme of things, why would a short-lived riot where the only person killed was by police need a commission to study it? There is no great mystery here. There was no grand scheme to overthrow the government. There were some cosplaying morons who trespassed, damaged property, and skirmished with police. It was unacceptable, but it was not 9/11, where 3,000 people were murdered by Islamist terrorists. Treating it as such is insulting to everyone’s intelligence.

Past that, any Republican who seeks to waste time with this nonsense while we’ve got so many real issues to deal with is demonstrating exactly the penchant for failure that saw the party reject them in 2016.

Every single person – not exaggerating- I talk to in CA has 3 things on their mind – homelessness, school closures and the skyrocketing cost of living (and where they might want to move to). You know what NO ONE cares about? A stupid 1/6 commission.

— Kira (@RealKiraDavis) May 19, 2021

This isn’t difficult. All Republicans have to do is not be stupid leading into 2022 and they are likely to score a resounding victory. Helping Democrats relitigate the past is a recipe for disaster, and it’s one the GOP should not oblige. Hopefully, enough Republican senators have a backbone and filibuster this bill because if they don’t, then the GOP deserves what it gets from its voters.

In the end, there is one thing that is no longer tolerated and that’s playing into the hands of the opposition. Liz Cheney has already learned that lesson. How about we not have to teach it over and over again?