The now defunct Democratic-led January 6 House Committee, which hounded ex-President Donald Trump and his supporters over the unrest at the US Capitol in 2021, has now found itself in the crosshairs of an investigation, US media reported.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chairman of the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, is leading the probe that is said to be still in the early stages.
“We’ve got to get through the documents. We need to do some interviews with people. But at some point, we will have some hearings,” Loudermilk was quoted as saying, adding:
“We need to give a serious, in-depth investigation into what happened that day, which the J6 committee didn’t do. We need to know, where were the security failures … as well as what do we need to do to fix it?”
When asked if there would be a flurry of subpoenas, as was the case with the Jan. 6 panel, Loudermilk did not offer any clarity, only saying:
“I would hope that, you know, they’d just come and talk. This is not going to be a gotcha. This is getting to the truth.”
It was also added that the investigation was hoping to receive tips from “individuals with knowledge of the events of January 6th and the Select Committee,” offering insights into the security of the Capitol, actions of the National Guard, etc. For this purpose, the House Administration Committee has set up a “Capitol Security Info” portal on its website.
Georgia native Loudermilk has an axe to grind with the dissolved Jan. 6 Select Committee, which summoned him for an interview over a tour he gave to constituents in a House office building on Jan. 5, 2021. Loudermilk was a no-show to the questioning. According to footage shared by the Jan. 6 panel, one of the men from that tour supposedly marched toward the Capitol on Jan. 6, saying: “There’s no escape Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler. We’re coming for you.” However, Loudermilk’s office denied any such claims, and referenced a letter from the Capitol Police chief dated 2022, which said that a review of footage did not determine that "any of the activities observed" were "suspicious.”
23 February 2023, 14:01 GMT
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) earlier appeared on Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s show when the US journalist revealed 41,000 hours of never-before-seen Capitol surveillance footage from the January 6, 2021 protests. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy granted Carlson access to the footage, which triggered a hue and cry in the mainstream press and in the ranks of Democratic lawmakers. The journalist was slammed as purposefully selecting video evidence to "falsely" portray the riots as largely "peaceful."
Former US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that members of the Dem-led January 6 House Committee "should be tried for fraud and treason," after excerpts of surveillance footage from the Capitol protests of 2021 were released.
"The Unselect Committee of political hacks and thugs has been totally discredited. They knowingly refused to show the videos that mattered. They should be tried for fraud and treason, and those imprisoned and being persecuted should be exonerated and released, now!" Trump wrote.
At a rally outside the White House on January 6, 2021, Trump told a crowd of his followers that they had to “fight like hell” to “Stop the Steal,” in a reference to the certification of election results then underway by Congress. Trump insisted his election loss in November 2020 was the result of widespread election fraud orchestrated by the Democrats. As thousands of the Republican's supporters forced their way into the US Capitol that day, Trump appealed to them to “go home in peace.”
Screenshot of Twitter account of Donald Trump.
© Photo : Twitter
Nevertheless, five people died in the unrest, including a Capitol Police officer and a female rioter who was shot by police outside the House chamber. Then-US President Donald Trump was impeached on charges of inciting the attack. However, in a Senate trial after he had already left office, Trump was acquitted.
Nevertheless, House Dems formed a Select Committee on the January 6 Attack in July 2021 to investigate the Capitol breach. Trump decried the "sham" probe from the outset, slamming it as a "witch hunt." On December 22, 2022, the House January 6 Committee Investigating the Attack on the Capitol released its final report, charging Donald Trump with a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the 2020 election and “block the transfer of power.” Trump dismissed the probe’s conclusions and the criminal referral against him, referring to the charges as "fake."