Republican Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas repeatedly referred to what appeared to be written talking points on Sunday when he was asked why he supported multiple Benghazi investigations but opposes a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
During an interview on CNN's State of the Union program, host Jake Tapper said that he was "surprised" that McCaul voted against the Jan. 6 commission.
Tapper observed that McCaul had supported investigations in 2014 following the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
"I agreed with you then but I wonder why you don't have the same feeling about this commission?" Tapper asked.
"It was a dark day in American history," McCaul said, appearing to glance down at his notes. "I was the first one to call for a DOJ investigation into this. In essence, I view this not as an overview of policy like the 9/11 Commission did. It's a criminal investigation, a criminal case."
McCaul read his notes as he continued: "In my judgment, that properly falls within the purview of the Department of Justice where I worked for many years rather than a politically appointed commission."
The Texas lawmaker said that he wants "all the answers to what happened on Jan. 6" to come from the Justice Department.
"I think Congress should have a full report of the DOJ investigation that I don't believe will be tainted by politics, whereas some other methods could be," McCaul said, appearing to read talking points. "I think the DOJ -- having been a part of that for so long -- really is where this properly should be to get to the bottom of what happened and let's get to prosecuting and putting these people behind bars."
McCaul, however, did not say if he supports a criminal investigation into former President Donald Trump or others who may have instigated the Jan. 6 attack.
