Since the vote was taken last night (too late for the Intelligencer), I waited for the afternoon Wheeling News-Register to see if Ogden would cover our local congressman’s affirmative vote on the creation of a commission to closely examine what happened on January 6. McKinley was one of 35 Republicans to vote for the commission. (WV’s other two representatives, Carol Miller and Alex Mooney voted against the commission.) The afternoon paper, like its almost identical morning companion, also ignored the vote. (Both carried a much less important AP story about congressional Republican’s rebellion against mask-wearing.)

If the reaction on Twitter is any indication, West Virginia’s Trump Party is not happy with McKinley’s vote. That maybe why our local Republican outlets, for whom McKinley is clearly a favorite, chose not to cover the vote – there is no sense in firing up the base. Another thought: perhaps McKinley, who faces a difficult primary fight from ultra-Trumpy Alex Mooney in 2022, has decided not to run.

Here is what McKinley told WV Metro News about his vote:

The events at the Capitol on January 6 were horrific and cannot be ignored. A fair bipartisan investigation will help us get to the bottom of what happened that day and understand the factors that contributed to it, including the media, social media, and overheated rhetoric by both parties. . . . Congress has always investigated major events, including 9/11 and Benghazi in recent years. January 6 should be no different.

I don’t say this often, but I think McKinley deserves credit for doing the right thing. (I just checked and I said similar things about McKinley back on January 2.)