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Bice Says Bipartisan Jan. 6 Commission Should Not 'Go After' Trump

Rep. Stephanie Bice
Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) in a video posted to social media on Friday.

The only member of the all-Republican Oklahoma Congressional delegation to vote in favor of an independent, bipartisan commission into the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection carried out by supporters of Donald Trump said Friday that the former president should not be the focus of the probe.

"There are important questions that must be answered about [Democratic Speaker of the House] Nancy Pelosi's involvement in the decision to deny an activation request for the D.C. National Guard to protect the Capitol," Bice said in a video posted to social media, apparently referring to a false claim from fellow Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

"There are still questions about why a female Air Force vet was shot dead steps off the House floor without an open investigation," Bice said, referring to rioter Ashli Babbitt, caught on video attempting to climb through a shattered window in order to breach further into the Capitol when a law enforcement officer opened fire as she drew closer to lawmakers.

"We must also discover why the individuals arrested in connection with the Jan. 6 incident are being held in solitary confinement," Bice said, echoing her freshman Republican colleague Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has lamented the treatment of the accused attackers at the hands of law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

Bice's vote in support of the 9/11-style commission put her at odds with House Republican leadership. She was one of just 35 House Republicans to defy Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and join with Democrats in supporting the measure.

Shortly after the uprising was put down on Jan. 6 and the joint session of Congress resumed its meeting to certify Joe Biden's victory over then-President Donald Trump, Bice and the other four members of the Oklahoma delegation all still voted to reject the legitimate results of the election.

Chris joined Public Radio Tulsa as a news anchor and reporter in April 2020. He’s a graduate of Hunter College and the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, both at the City University of New York.
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