South Carolina’s US Rep. Tom Rice backs Jan. 6 panel

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – U.S. Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina has yet again found himself among a small group of Republicans voting with Democrats. On Wednesday, Rice was among 35 Republicans who voted to create a commission to study the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. The move defied the wishes of both House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and former President Donald Trump. Trump urged Republicans to oppose the legislation he called a “Democrat trap.” The other five Republicans in South Carolina’s House delegation voted against creating the independent commission. Democrats have said the panel is crucial to reckoning what happened the day a violent mob of Trump’s supporters smashed into the Capitol to try and overturn President Joe Biden’s victory.