House Republicans are forming a new panel to question the Jan. 6 committee’s findings on the Capitol attack.
Washington: Speaker Mike Johnson is shaking things up with a new panel aimed at questioning the old Jan. 6 committee’s findings. This committee looked into Trump’s role in the Capitol riot back in 2021.
Just a day after Johnson backed Trump’s pardons for many rioters, he announced plans for a new subcommittee. Rep. Barry Loudermilk from Georgia will lead this effort, which is set to scrutinize the previous committee’s work.
The earlier panel, led by Democrats, pointed fingers at Trump for stirring up chaos around the 2020 election results. They gathered a ton of evidence that has been used in criminal cases against Trump in both Washington and Florida.
This new group will be part of the House Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Jim Jordan, a close ally of Trump. Loudermilk has already spent two years looking into the Jan. 6 committee and the security failures that allowed the rioters to break in.
Johnson’s announcement comes right after Trump decided to pardon or drop charges against nearly all the 1,600 people arrested for the Capitol storming. This includes many who were violent and even some convicted of serious crimes.
Johnson said he doesn’t question Trump’s decisions and is focused on moving forward. He believes there are better days ahead and wants to keep looking forward.
However, Loudermilk pointed out that understanding the past is crucial for making future changes. He stressed that the panel will look into improving security for the Capitol and its members, as well as addressing intelligence failures.
While Loudermilk didn’t directly criticize the previous committee, both Johnson and Jordan indicated that its work will be a key focus for the new panel. It’s still unclear how many members will be on this committee or if any Democrats will join.
When asked about Democratic participation, Jordan said it’s up to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. He also mentioned that the subcommittee plans to work with Trump’s picks for the Department of Justice and the FBI.
