Thread by @JakeSherman

>@PunchbowlNews AM this morning: House Republicans are a mess.

For the second week in a row, House Republicans find themselves engaged in a nasty round of internecine warfare, second-guessing and turning against the tactics of their leadership.

@PunchbowlNews topic of disagreement: A bill authorizing a bipartisan commission to review the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. @GOPLeader said he was opposed to the legislation Tuesday, but @RepJohnKatko ) -- who helped put together the bipartisan deal at McCarthy’s behest — is for it.

@PunchbowlNews @GOPLeader @RepJohnKatko McCarthy’s gripe was lame to many House Republicans. He said this commission should be focused on other political violence, not just Jan. 6. A lot of Republicans found this excuse incredibly weak, especially since most GOP members had called for a Jan. 6 commission months ago.

@PunchbowlNews @GOPLeader @RepJohnKatko In fact, there are 31 sponsors of a GOP bill to create a commission that mirrors the bipartisan compromise. The GOP truly doesn’t have solid ground to stand on here.

@PunchbowlNews @GOPLeader @RepJohnKatko We hear that anywhere between 20 to 50 Republicans could vote for this commission, with the total very fluid. Republicans are concerned about a “jailbreak,” in which a flood of lawmakers back the legislation en masse.

@PunchbowlNews @GOPLeader @RepJohnKatko Many senior GOP leadership figures understand that forcing their rank and file to vote against this bill is damaging for their most vulnerable members in the long run. It’s a tough vote to explain away -- especially when so many Rs are on record supporting something identical.