House's Pelosi will decide this week on probe of Jan. 6 attack -aide

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi will decide this week whether to create a special committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, her deputy chief of staff, Drew Hammill, said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Reuters and other U.S. news outlets, citing sources familiar with the decision, earlier on Tuesday reported that Pelosi had decided to create the committee.

"Clarification on tonight's meeting of the Steering and Policy Committee. Speaker Pelosi told Members she plans to announce WHETHER she will create a select committee THIS WEEK. Her preference continues to be a bipartisan commission which Senate Republicans are blocking," Hammill said on Twitter.

Senate Republicans earlier blocked the creation of a bipartisan commission outside of Congress.

Hundreds of supporters of then-President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a bid to block the certification of President Joe Biden's victory, following a fiery speech from Trump outside the White House. The violence left five dead, including a Capitol Police officer.

Trump has repeatedly falsely alleged that his electoral defeat was due to voter fraud, a claim dismissed by multiple courts, state election officials and his own administration's review.

(Reporting by Richard Cowan; Editing by Stephen Coates)