Tipsheet

Get Ready: It Turns Out There's Another January 6 Committee

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  January 23, 2025 10:00 PM

It's been a whirlwind of a week over January 6 and the select committee of all Democratically-appointed members who were supposed to investigate the events of that day. On Monday, outgoing President Joe Biden issued several preemptive pardons, including for members of that select committee, even though at least one such member, now Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) didn't think it was the greatest idea. Later that same day, upon taking office, President Donald Trump issued pardons for the January 6 defendants. Now, as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced on Wednesday, there's to be a new select committee.

Teri Christoph, writing for our sister site of RedState, highlighted comments from Johnson's announcement. 

"This new committee replaces the Committee on House Administration's Subcommittee on Oversight, and will once again be chaired by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)," Christoph wrote. We covered Loudermilk's findings in a report last year. Any criticisms drew the ire of former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the vice chair of that committee, who continued to throw tantrums about her authority being questioned. 

The select committee faced even more credibility issues after it was revealed that the Secret Service tried to offer testimony for months to rebut star witness Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony about then President Donald Trump during his first term, but that they were "rebuffed" until the day before the 2022 midterm elections.

"Here's the interesting twist: it will now fall under the purview of the House Judiciary Committee and its chairman, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)," Christoph continued. "It seems a significant shift to move the J6 subcommittee from the House Committee on Oversight and Reform to the House Judiciary Committee, and is likely a direct result of Biden pardoning all those involved with the nefarious J6 Committee. There are a lot of Americans who would like to see true justice exacted here, using all judicial means possible, and this could be a significant step in making that happen," she also later wrote. It is indeed an "interesting twist," considering that then Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) tried to name Jordan to the select committee, but was blocked from doing so by then Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). 

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"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. We are establishing this Select Subcommittee to continue our efforts to uncover the full truth that is owed to the American people. The composition and other details regarding the Select Subcommittee will be announced soon," Johnson said about the announcement.

Johnson's post over X linked to Mollie Hemingway's coverage at The Federalist, which included a particularly thorough reminder of the concerns about such a committee:

As noted earlier, Loudermilk and his staff uncovered transcribed interviews Cheney’s committee had suppressed because they were at odds with the narrative she was creating. For instance, Cheney suppressed evidence that President Donald Trump pushed for 10,000 National Guard troops to protect the nation’s capital, falsely claiming she had “no evidence” to support Trump officials’ claims the White House had communicated its desire for 10,000 National Guard troops.

In fact, an early transcribed interview conducted by the committee included precisely that evidence from a key source. The interview, which Cheney attended and personally participated in, was suppressed from public release. Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato’s first transcribed interview with the committee was conducted on Jan. 28, 2022. In it, he told Cheney and her investigators that he overheard White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows push Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser to request as many National Guard troops as she needed to protect the city. He also testified President Trump had suggested 10,000 troops would be needed to keep the peace at the public rallies and protests scheduled for Jan. 6, 2021.

In addition, Ornato described White House frustration with Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller’s slow deployment of assistance on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021. Not only did the committee not accurately characterize the interview, it suppressed the transcript from public review. On top of that, committee allies began publishing critical stories and even conspiracy theories about Ornato ahead of follow-up interviews with him. Ornato was a career Secret Service official who had been detailed to the security position in the White House.

Hutchinson’s televised testimony included claims Donald Trump had lunged at the steering wheel in order to commandeer a vehicle to the Capitol. The driver of the vehicle testified that Trump did not grab or reach for the steering wheel. “I didn’t see him, you know, lunge to try to get into the front seat at all,” the driver, a Secret Service agent, testified. Cheney hid the full testimony, Loudermilk revealed.

"Details about the funding and composition of the select subcommittee are still being arranged. Authorizing language is being drafted and will be finalized within the next two weeks," she explained. Hemingway's piece also reminded that Johnson had said the committee would be fully funded in his January 2 criticizing Biden awarding Cheney with the Presidential Citizens Medal. 

In addition to calling it "a complete joke and utter embarrassment" that Biden would award Cheney and other January 6 select committee members with such an award, Johnson gave a quick recap of the scandalous and performative from the committee and issued a promise. 
"Be assured of this: House Republicans WILL continue our investigation into this corrupt committee and it will be FULLY FUNDED so it can continue next Congress," he mentioned in his posr.