GOP-Led January 6 Investigation to Form Its Own Committee in Congress
Republican Representative Barry Loudermilk of Georgia has disclosed that House Speaker Mike Johnson assured him his investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol will be “formalized as a new committee.”
This move aligns with a broader Republican initiative to continue various investigations they launched in the previous Congress, particularly now that they control both chambers of Congress and the White House.
Loudermilk informed CNN that while the exact structure of the new committee is still under discussion, one possibility being considered is giving Johnson more authority over the panel’s composition and operational framework, making it a “select committee.”
By establishing a dedicated committee to advance Loudermilk’s work—such as the report that suggested former GOP Representative Liz Cheney be referred to the FBI—Republicans keep their efforts to shield President-elect Donald Trump from accountability for the January 6 events in the public eye.
“It was so singularly focused that basically Trump created this entire problem,” Loudermilk said of the previous January 6 select committee led by Adam Schiff and Liz Cheney. “When in reality, it was a multitude of failures at different levels.”
Speaker Johnson has publicly committed that the renewed January 6 investigation will be “fully funded.”
“Continuing its investigation into the previous January 6 select committee – which featured Cheney as a vice chair and had another Republican member – and broader security response to the Capitol attack is not the only way Republicans plan to use their new majority to carry over their previous investigations that remain politically charged,” CNN reported.
The network further stated: “Republicans re-issued subpoenas related to special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents and two Justice Department tax investigators who worked on the Hunter Biden case on Monday, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Those subpoenas would renew pursuits by the previous Congress that have been fought over in court – and not resolved – for months.”
California Democrat Senator Adam Schiff addressed discussions about the January 6 committee and reports that President Joe Biden was considering a pardon for him, Cheney, and others.
Speaking on Monday, Schiff expressed opposition to Biden setting a “precedent” by issuing a preemptive pardon to himself or others involved in the committee’s work.
“It would be the wrong precedent to set. I don’t want to see each president hereafter on their way out the door giving out a broad category of pardons,” Schiff remarked in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash.
When asked about the possibility of a more specific pardon, Schiff responded, “Well, and here I’m just speaking for myself, those of us that were on the Jan. 6 committee who [President-elect Trump] has put in the crosshairs, we’re all enormously proud of the work that we did.”
“We stand by it. We feel we have the protection of the Speech and Debate Clause. So, I — my own feeling is, let’s just avoid this kinda broad precedent,” he added.
However, Schiff stopped short of outright rejecting a pardon, stating of Biden, “I’m urging that he not go down that road.”
Some Democratic voices have argued that Biden should issue pardons before leaving office at the end of the month to protect individuals who could be targeted by Trump and his administration.
“We’re back in this conundrum again, where a Democratic president can do things for a very good reason, a laudable reason, a legitimate reason — in this case, that people are being threatened improperly by an incoming president — but then that precedent can be abused,” Schiff noted during his CNN appearance on Monday.