Johnson Forms Committee To Investigate Original Dem-Led Jan. 6 Probe
House Speaker Mike Johnson is launching a new committee to investigate the Democrat-led January 6 panel amid allegations that key evidence exonerating President Donald Trump was hidden or destroyed.
The initial committee, chaired by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) alongside then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), was effectively selected by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). In a controversial move, Pelosi blocked the GOP from appointing its own members, leading then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to boycott the process entirely.
Ultimately, former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who had also broken with Trump, joined Cheney on the committee.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican from Georgia, has been tapped to lead the newly formed select subcommittee, which will function under the House Judiciary Committee.
Loudermilk had already been conducting a separate investigation into January 6 through the House Administration Committee and had previously urged Johnson to establish a standalone probe.
As a “select” subcommittee, Johnson will have full authority to determine which House members will be part of the panel.
The announcement comes as Johnson and other Republicans have downplayed questions regarding Trump’s pledge to pardon nearly all individuals convicted for their roles in the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Most of those pardoned had faced misdemeanor charges, though some had been convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers.
“House Republicans are proud of our work so far in exposing the false narratives peddled by the politically motivated January 6 Select Committee during the 117th Congress, but there is still more work to be done,” Johnson stated. “We are establishing this Select Subcommittee to continue our efforts to uncover the full truth that is owed to the American people.”
Loudermilk echoed this sentiment, saying in a statement that he hopes to “uncover all the facts and begin the arduous task of making needed reforms to ensure this level of security failure may never happen again.”
Beyond security concerns, Republicans remain focused on investigating the original Jan. 6 committee, particularly after previous inquiries uncovered evidence contradicting key aspects of the Democrats’ narrative about Trump’s involvement and actions on the day of the riot.
In December, Loudermilk released a report that criticized the Jan. 6 committee’s “failures and politicization.” His report called for a criminal investigation into Cheney, alleging she may have engaged in witness tampering by communicating with Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide and a key witness.
Cheney, in response, dismissed Loudermilk’s findings, stating that his report “intentionally disregards the truth and the Select Committee’s tremendous weight of evidence, and instead fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Donald Trump did.”
Calls for legal action against members of the original committee may have influenced a last-minute decision by President Biden to grant preemptive pardons to members of the Jan. 6 committee and its staff just hours before leaving office, according to The Hill.
These and other late-term pardons have led to speculation that Republicans may seek to compel testimony or depositions from those pardoned, removing their ability to plead the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination.
Earlier this week, Loudermilk suggested that Congress could still subpoena former Jan. 6 select committee members for questioning, despite Biden’s pardons.
Asked whether this increased the likelihood of summoning Jan. 6 committee members for testimony, Loudermilk told The Hill, “I think definitely, this is a situation that we still got to dig a little deeper.”
He also pointedly noted, “It’s also interesting, I think, to look at those he didn’t pardon,” referencing Hutchinson.