The Jan. 6 committee that will “reinvestigate” what transpired in the US Capitol in 2021 has been launched by House Republicans in their own version of the committee. The committee’s chairman, Georgia Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk, stated that they would “investigate both sides” and “show what really happened on Jan. 6.”
The Democrat-led committee subpoenaed several Republicans last year. Republicans are currently discussing intensifying their criticism of Nancy Pelosi, the person in charge of choosing the panel.
Republicans previously addressed Pelosi a letter inquiring as to why she did not take further security measures for the Capitol on January 6, 2021, including calling for National Guard deployments and a larger presence of Capitol Police.
Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia, a Republican, responded when asked if he thought Republicans should subpoena Pelosi, “I’m gonna tell you the truth: Yes, I do.”
“This is setting the precedent, and we’re just not gonna lie down and let this happen. There are serious questions about her role on January 6 and exactly what she did and what she didn’t do. And we need to get to the bottom of that,” he added.
There is widespread support, according to several other Republicans, for subpoenaing Pelosi.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a subpoena there,” said Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast.
Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, erupted earlier this year when discussing the committee’s approval of a criminal contempt report to prosecute Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress. Jordan had demanded an investigation into Pelosi for her role.
“There have been subpoenas issued to 11 individuals, 11 American citizens who asked the government permission on an application to hold the Trump rally,” Jordan said.
“The government granted it and now the January 6 committee petitions them to ask them questions about exercising their First Amendment right to assemble,” he added.
“And why would they subpoena me? I didn’t do anything wrong — I talked to the president,” Jordan said. “I talk to the president all the time. I just think that’s — you know where I’m at on this commission — this is all about going after President Trump. That seems obvious.”
Loudermilk added that if any decisions were made on Capitol security prior to January 6, the panel would think about asking Pelosi for an interview.
“If we need to, we would like for her to come and talk to us about it,” Loudermilk said, adding the panel might seek to interview former members of the House Jan. 6 committee, Roll Call reported.
Republicans also said that despite having a budget that they claim matches many big-city departments, the U.S. Capitol Police had failed to implement the necessary reforms after January 6.
“One of the reasons it’s important that we look back is so we can identify where the failures were and move forward. Our concern is there has been a lack of looking back by the previous leadership of Capitol Police,” said Loudermilk.
Additionally, House Republicans are requesting an official response from Bank of America to claims that it shared customer data with federal authorities looking into the events of January 6.
In a letter to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, Jordan and Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, chairman of the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee, asked him to submit documentation regarding the firm’s alleged cooperation with the DOJ and FBI.
“The Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government are conducting oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation … and its receipt of information about American citizens from private entities,” the letter reads. “An FBI whistleblower has disclosed that shortly after the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Bank of America … provided the FBI — voluntarily and without any legal process — with a list of individuals who had made transactions in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area with a BoA credit or debit card between Jan. 5 and Jan. 7, 2021.”
