Just sixteen Republican Senators held meetings Thursday with the mother and life partner of slain Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick to discuss their desire to have a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6th domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol, the Washington Post reports.

Of the sixteen meetings, a number of Republicans sent staff to meeting with Gladys Sicknick and Sandra Garza.  Two police officers who were at the Capitol during the insurrection attempt, D.C. Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone and the U.S. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, also accompanied Sicknick and Garza.

“That’s why I’m here today,” Sicknick told reporters on trying to lobby Republican Senators to investigate the coup attempt. “You know, usually I stay in the background, and I just couldn’t — I couldn’t stay quiet anymore.”

“I mean, why would they not want to get to the bottom of such horrific violence?” Garza said. “They are here today — and with their families and comfortable — because of the actions of law enforcement that day. . . . It just boggles my mind.”

CNN reported earlier in the day that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was making calls to Republican Senators asking that they vote down the commission as a “personal favor” to him.  McConnell reportedly fears that a release of a report from a commission seen as independent would hurt GOP efforts in the 2022 midterm elections because it would show how Republicans attempted to undermine the outcome of the election and how Trump stoked the attackers and then failed to act once the attack began.

Trump is expected to be a major fundraiser for the GOP in upcoming elections, so tarnishing his reputation by reporting his actions and inactions connected to the attacks would not help Republicans in Congressional races.

The dilemma for Republicans:  support Trump because he can raise money for you in upcoming elections, or support police.  It appears Republicans have chosen money.