House Republicans offer initial analysis of Jan. 6 select panel's work
A House Administration subpanel has released its first analysis of what Speaker Mike Johnson deemed an “incomplete” record of the events of Jan. 6 as found by a special select panel last Congress.
The committee vowed to hold additional hearings throughout the year, beginning Tuesday with a hearing on the unsolved case of two pipe bombs left at the Democratic National Committee and Republican National Committee that day, and produce a final report before the end of 2024.
Republicans used their majority analysis Monday as an attempt to relitigate old battles waged by the Jan. 6 select committee, accusing the panel of violating House rules and suppressing key pieces of evidence to hurt former President Donald Trump — old allegations the committee sharply rejected.
The 80-page report focuses heavily on the select committee's origin and structure — which withstood repeated legal challenges by witnesses who had been subpoenaed to testify — contending that the committee's designation of then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) as both its vice chair and ranking minority member violated House rules.
Republicans also scolded the panel for turning over some of its most sensitive transcripts to the White House and Department of Homeland Security, which prevented them from being publicly released. The panel has argued that the Biden administration would only permit those witnesses — White House military aides and valets, as well as Secret Service officials — to testify under agreements that they would get to scrub the transcripts for sensitive operational details.
The report is also a compilation of familiar swipes at the select committee, labeling its purpose "partisan" and questioning the testimony of a major witness, Cassidy Hutchinson, who provided sensational accounts of Trump's movements that day — some of it which she said had been relayed to her via other White House officials.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), head of the Administration subcommittee, said the select panel last Congress “promoted hearsay and cherry-picked information to promote its political goal” of prosecuting Trump.
House Republicans have released thousands of hours of security footage from the insurrection and have vowed to continue to do so as it becomes available.