Mikie Sherrill got some national attention last week when she talked of seeing members of Congress conducting tours of the Capitol on Jan. 5, the day before rioters stormed the building, presumably to stop the certifying of Electoral College votes.

Sherrill, who is cooperating with investigators looking into the matter, indicated that the issue is far from over. Speaking Thursday evening at a Zoom-event hosted by Morris Township Democrats, Sherrill said violent extremism must be rooted out and that she will not serve in any House caucus that includes members who may have been involved in encouraging the Jan. 6 events. She said she has no interest in working with those individuals.

Along those lines, Sherrill said she has joined with Rep. Jackie Speier of California in calling for a special commission to examine what led to the riot and also the extent of white supremacy and extremism in society and even the military. A one-time Navy pilot, Sherrill says she has spoken to Mark A. Milley, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the problem in the military.

This seems like it would be a 9/11-style commission, which was chaired by former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean.

Rep. Speier has first hand experience with extremism and cult behavior. She was shot and wounded when she visited Guyana in 1978 as an aide to Rep. Leo Ryan. This event led to the so-called Jonestown massacre, which was engineered by cult leader Jim Jones. Ryan was shot and killed.

On a more upbeat note, Sherrill said that on inauguration day morning, she and other residents of her D.C. apartment building were able to see the Marine One helicopter literally carrying Donald Trump out of town.

What was the reaction?

“People were screaming ‘good-bye and free at last,'” the congresswoman said.