Romney first GOP senator to say he would vote for Jan. 6 commission bill

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said on Monday that he would support a House-passed bill to create a commission to probe the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Romney’s comments make him the first GOP senator to say he would vote for the bill, which needs the support of 10 Republicans to pass the Senate.

Asked how he would vote if Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) tried to start debate on the House bill, a move that requires 60 votes to defeat a filibuster, Romney told reporters, “I would support the bill.”

Romney wasn’t asked how he would vote on final passage of the House bill, which would need only a simple majority. Spokespeople for Romney didn’t immediately respond to a question about if he would change his vote after helping defeat a GOP filibuster.

But Romney’s comments come as Schumer has vowed that he will bring the bill up for a vote, setting up what could be the first successful filibuster of the 117th Congress.

Schumer hasn’t said when he’ll bring up the House bill but characterized the timing on Monday as “very soon.”

But Democrats remain short of the votes needed to defeat a filibuster as GOP opposition to the House-passed bill as it’s currently drafted hardens.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) previously told reporters that he was inclined to vote for it.

Meanwhile, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has started discussions with Democrats about potential amendments to the House bill.

All three voted to convict Trump earlier this year of inciting an insurrection, though they fell short of the number of votes needed to ultimately do so.

The two biggest sticking points for Republicans are concerns that Democrats would be able to control the staffing and that the commission would stretch into next year, though the bill contains an end-of-year cutoff.