Georgia Republican Representative Barry Loudermilk departed with the assurance that his investigation into the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol will be officially recognized as a new committee. This was marked by a photo opportunity with House Speaker Mike Johnson, symbolizing the commencement of the upcoming Congress.
This initiative reflects the Republican Party’s ongoing effort to reshape the narrative surrounding January 6, which has become a consistent element of its investigative agenda. With the GOP now in control of both chambers of Congress and the presidency, this move is part of a broader strategy to pursue several investigations initiated by Republicans in the previous Congress.
Loudermilk informed CNN that while the details of the new committee are still under discussion, one potential approach is to grant Johnson greater authority in selecting committee members and directing the committee’s activities.
The Republican efforts to exonerate President-elect Donald Trump from accountability for the January 6 unrest remain evident, as illustrated by the establishment of a new committee to underscore Loudermilk’s initiatives, which included a report recommending that the FBI take action against former GOP Representative Liz Cheney.
Loudermilk characterized the earlier January 6 select committee, which Cheney co-led, as being “so singularly focused that basically Trump created this entire problem,” asserting that there were multiple failures at various levels.
Nevertheless, Loudermilk conceded that including January 6 in the title of the new committee might convey an unintended message.
“It’s somewhat of a trigger for people, in one way. In another, it is even more restrictive because there are other security concerns besides January 6,” Loudermilk stated to CNN.Johnson has publicly announced that the new investigation into the events of January 6 will be “fully funded.”
Republicans plan to leverage their newly acquired majority in various ways, including the continuation of politically motivated inquiries into the previous January 6 select committee, which featured Cheney as vice chair alongside another Republican member, as well as the overall security response to the Capitol insurrection.
As reported by CNN, two individuals familiar with the matter indicated that Republicans reissued subpoenas on Monday concerning two Justice Department tax investigators involved in the Hunter Biden case and special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into President Joe Biden’s management of classified documents. These subpoenas aim to revive efforts from the previous Congress that have faced legal challenges for several months without resolution.
The Justice Department under Trump, which is expected to be significantly more receptive to congressional Republicans’ requests for documents and information, will receive the renewed subpoenas.
One of the subpoenas pertains to Hur’s audio recordings of discussions between President Biden and his ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer regarding classified materials for a memoir written after his vice presidency. The right-leaning Heritage Foundation and media outlets such as CNN are pursuing this matter in court, seeking the release of these recordings and others obtained by Hur. Judges have consistently heard the DOJ’s arguments against the public release of such audio recordings.The subpoenas directed at DOJ tax investigators Jack Morgan and Mark Daly represent an extension of earlier subpoenas issued by the House Judiciary Committee. The House has initiated legal action against the DOJ for obstructing the men’s participation in depositions related to the Hunter Biden investigation, resulting in the absence of their testimony. The case is currently under the consideration of Judge Ana Reyes in the DC District Court, where proceedings are presently suspended.
Morgan’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday, while Daly’s attorney chose not to provide any remarks.
Prior to the commencement of their new majority, House Republicans indicated a potential interest in examining the actions of special counsel David Weiss concerning Hunter Biden’s tax and firearms prosecutions, as well as special counsel Jack Smith’s two criminal cases involving Trump. Their efforts to scrutinize the prosecutors have largely been ineffective while the criminal investigations remain active.
