More than four months after the Capitol was forcibly stormed in the American capital Washington, the Republicans in the Senate prevented the establishment of a bipartisan commission of inquiry.

The vast majority of Republican Senators voted against such a body on Thursday.

The House of Representatives approved the establishment last week with a majority of the Democrats.

Although the Democrats have a slim majority in the Senate, the Republicans can block most projects due to procedural rules.

Supporters of then President Donald Trump stormed the seat of Congress on January 6th.

Five people were killed, including a Capitol policeman.

Trump had to face impeachment proceedings for the attack because he had previously incited his supporters in a speech.

In the end, the Republican was acquitted.

The proposed commission should, among other things, have the right to summon witnesses and request classified information.

Six votes were missing

54 senators voted on Thursday to end the debate on the commission and allow a final vote on its establishment; including six Republicans. To break the blockade, however, 60 votes would have been needed. The Democratic majority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, had previously accused the Republican leadership of sabotaging the reappraisal of the attack. Behind this is the "shameful" desire to protect Trump, criticized Schumer. Trump had called on Republicans to vote against the establishment of the body.

The spokeswoman for the House of Representatives, the Democrat Nancy Pelosi, had already indicated that if the Senate were blocked, she would set up a less robustly equipped investigative body for which no separate law would be required. The majority of the Democrats in the House of Representatives would be sufficient for this, the Senate could not block such an investigation.