PRESIDENT Joe Biden said he's fine with being compared to “Satan reincarnated” after urging Congress to conduct a thorough investigation into the January 6 Capital insurrection.
“I don’t care if you think I’m Satan reincarnated,” Biden said during a televised town hall at a half-full hall in Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati on Wednesday.
He added: “The fact is you can’t look at that television and say nothing happened on the 6th and listen to people who say this was a peaceful march."
Four people died in the riot, and a Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick who collapsed and passed away afterward of what authorities said were natural causes.
Justice Department officials have declared that arresting everyone involved in the insurrection remains a top priority.
There have been more than 500 arrests and many of those have pleaded guilty since the Jan. 6 siege.
FIGHT OVER COMMITTEE
Already, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two Republicans Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana both handpicked by House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy to sit on a 13-member committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot probe.
"The unprecedented nature of January 6th demands this unprecedented decision," she stated, noting there needed to be a “comprehensive investigation.”
"This is the people's house. Not Pelosi's house," an emphatic McCarthy said during a press conference.
"Why are you allowing a lame-duck speaker to destroy this institution?"
The suggestion has Pelosi becoming a "lame-duck" speaker should Republicans take back majority control in the 2022 election.
"This represents an egregious abuse of power and will irreparably damage this institution," McCarthy went on. "This panel has lost all legitimacy and credibility and shows the Speaker is more interested in playing politics than seeking the truth."
Pressed by CNN host Don Lemon to explain how the country can have faith there can be some agreement despite the partisan disagreements, Biden gave a shrugged reply, “These people,” suggesting the spare number of attendees in the auditorium amongst the empty seats and Americans in general around the country.
VACCINE PUSH
Other topics covered in the town hall event included the need for Americans to get Covid jabs and the political stalemate he’s encountering to push his agenda forward.
As for the split on Covid-19 inoculations, Biden was determined to convince more people to get the jab to stop the country being separated between the vaccinated and un-vaccinated – especially among children.
“So it's going to get a little bit tight in terms of well, are mom or dad being honest that… Johnny did or did not get vaccinated,” he said.
“That's gonna raise questions.”
The pandemic continues to lead to rising hospitalizations and cases nearly tripled in the U.S. in the last two weeks.
The seven-day average in the past two weeks for new cases rose to more than 37,000 on Tuesday, leaping from less than 13,700 on July 6, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
There were only 56.3 percent of Americans who have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The predominance of both hospitalizations and fatalities are growing the most among those who haven’t been vaccinated.
“If you're vaccinated, you're not going to be hospitalized, you're not going to be in the IC unit, and you're not going to die,” Biden said.
“So it's gigantically important that – we all act like Americans who care about our fellow Americans.”
Biden said he was against doing away with the filibuster – as doing so would throw Congress into "chaos".
The president also put his faith in Congress to come to a consensus over his $1trillion infrastructure bill, suggesting that despite the rejection of it on Wednesday, there is hope a deal can be made by Monday.
“It’s a good thing and I think we're going to get it done,” he said.
He also appeared to be willing to confront personal issues, discussing how proud he is for his son Hunter and his battle with kicking drugs which he wrote about in a published memoir about battling addiction.
The president drew chuckles when he discussed his preferences to keep some White House staffers at bay while he chows on breakfast.
He admitted the main reason for the solitude was because Biden enjoys the morning meal while wearing his robe.
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