Last Updated on May 25, 2021, 8:48 AM | Published: May 25, 2021
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Congresswoman Stephanie Bice (CD-5) was the lone vote in Oklahoma’s delegation for establishing a bipartisan commission on the January 6 attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol.
But, just days later over the weekend, Oklahoma City’s representative in Congress generated a short video that seemed to interpret the need for the commission as being to solely determine what Democrats might have done that caused the Capitol Police to be overwhelmed by Trump supporters.
Bice is one of five representatives in the U.S. House of Representatives. The entire delegation is made up of Republicans.
Original vote statement
In response to our request, the Congresswoman sent Free Press a statement about her decision to vote for the commission.
“It is critically important that the commission’s work not interfere with ongoing criminal investigations,” said Bice. “But there is much more we must know about the circumstances surrounding that day.”
Bice has joined other Republicans on Capitol Hill in attempting to avert attention away from the thousands of Trump supporters who attacked, instead shifting focus to the Capitol Police and the Sergeants at Arms of the House and Senate for not stopping the mayhem.
“I remain troubled by the lack of transparency from the leadership of the Capitol Police and the House and Senate Sergeants at Arms as it relates to the preparation and response from those charged with securing the Capitol,” Bice said.
“Finding and correcting the issues that led to the breech of the Capitol and the forces that protect it will ensure the people’s House is safe and secure for all who visit and work there.”
Weekend statement
Bice returned to Oklahoma over the weekend and began to make contacts with various small groups. She has yet to hold any general town halls to hear from a broad cross section of voters.
While the vote seemed to be a moment of independence from the pro-Trump Republican Party line, she has interpreted the need for the commission as being to find what Democrats did wrong to allow the attack to have such a devastating effect.
Bice gained considerable attention over the weekend from this Tweet that seemed to be an attempt to shore up her image among Republicans in the district. It raised questions about what she was hearing about the vote once back home.
“First and foremost, I will not let this commission be a witch hunt by Nancy Pelosi,” Bice said in the video. “The purpose of the commission is not to go after former President Trump but to find out why the Capitol Police and the Sergeants at Arms were so unprepared.”
She makes several statements in the video suggesting that there are “questions” about Nancy Pelosi’s involvement in the lack of preparedness for rioters who were called to Washington, D.C. by Trump.
Bice also seems to portray veterans as being abused in the criminal investigations of those who attacked the Capitol.
In the video, Bice makes several dire warnings about what might happen if Republicans don’t have “an equal voice” in the commission.
Unique vote
The vote for the January 6 commission was a rare departure for Bice who has been eager to comply with national Republican agendas.
On election night, the focus of her entire victory speech was about removing Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House from California, and barely mentioned the people of Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District or any goals for the people of the district she ran to represent.
Soon after she was sworn in, Bice was one of 121 representatives – all Republicans – who voted against certifying the Electoral College results.
It was just days after the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol where thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump attempted to stop the count of Electoral College votes that would certify Joe Biden had won the election.
Trump refuses to concede the election to Biden and made statements just days ago saying that the election was stolen.
House Republican Leader, Kevin McCarthy, has resisted attempts to form even a bipartisan commission. It is possible that McCarthy will be called to testify since he had a phone conversation with Trump during the attack.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
