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House Republicans are pushing hard for the release of Capitol security footage one day before the January 6 riot at the Capitol that they claim debunks Democrat accusations that one of their colleagues conducted a ‘reconnaissance tour.’
Democrats have long promoted the conspiracy theory that GOP lawmakers held tours prior to the riot allowing protesters knowledge of the layout of the building complex.
One lawmaker accused of having done this is Representative Barry Loudermilk, a Georgia Republican.
The House select committee investigating the Capitol riot last week asked Loudermilk to voluntarily speak with its investigators.
“Based on our review of evidence in the Select Committee’s possession, we believe you have information regarding a tour you led through parts of the Capitol complex on January 5, 2021,” the group wrote in a letter to the lawmaker.
BREAKING: Jan. 6 committee says they have evidence to suggest “reconnaissance tours” took place prior to the Capitol attack — and asks for cooperation from House Admin GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk.
— Hugo Lowell (@hugolowell) May 19, 2022
RELATED: Lauren Boebert Slams Rolling Stone Report Suggesting Republicans Helped Plan January 6 Riot
Video Contradicts January 6 Reconnaissance Tour Claims
Republicans on the House Administration Committee claim to have reviewed footage of the Capitol one day prior to the January 6 riot and say there’s no evidence of ‘reconnaissance tours’ being conducted.
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The video, they countered in a letter, shows “no tours, no large groups, no one with MAGA hats on.”
“The Select Committee’s review of evidence directly contradicts that denial,” the anti-Trump panel said in a letter to Loudermilk authored by Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-WY).
Furious, Republicans on the Administration Committee demanded the release of the video footage to put an end to the conspiracy theory once and for all.
“Committee Minority staff have reviewed all footage in question and have confirmed no ‘reconnaissance tours’ occurred,” ranking member Rodney Davis (R-IL) wrote in his own letter to the Capitol Police Board.
Davis challenged the Board that if they have “any hope of preserving a reputation as an unbiased security agency” they need to “release the relevant footage in a timely manner.”
Should they have no interest in remaining unbiased, he added, “I will have no choice but to exercise my authority under 2 U.S.C. § 1979 to release the footage myself.”
GOP threatens to release Jan. 5 footage — but obtaining it will cost them https://t.co/9ynx6sbmiB pic.twitter.com/FuLUNVsudL
— The Hill (@thehill) May 24, 2022
GOP May Have to Pay
The challenge to release the January 5 footage which Republicans claim debunks the ‘reconnaissance tours’ accusation will certainly get interesting.
The Capitol Police Board can dispel whispers that they have a pro-Democrat select committee bias by simply releasing the tape. Is there any doubt they would instantly do so if the committee made this request?
Or, should they choose to force Davis to take action, it will essentially amount to a backhanded extortion effort against the GOP.
Why? Because, as The Hill reports, “following through on their threat” to release the footage “will require a serious outlay of cash” by Republicans.
“The external hard drive they would need to store the hundreds of hours of footage could cost as much as $20,000.”
House Republicans want video disclosure to fight Capitol riot ‘reconnaissance tours’ claims https://t.co/rFCBQDVpKG
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) May 24, 2022
A senior aide tells The Hill that Republicans on the committee may be willing to pay the fee just to clear the air on the false January 6 reconnaissance tour accusations.
“Clearly things have changed when one of our committee members is being insinuated that he led reconnaissance tours in the Capitol on Jan. 5 when we know for a fact the video footage shows otherwise,” they said.
That sounds like a pretty strong indication they have knowledge that the footage does, in fact, lay waste to claims being made by the anti-Trump select committee.
It’s an extortion fee worth paying. If the video does debunk the reconnaissance tour claims, the integrity of the committee, already weak to begin with, will be a shambles and cast doubt on other claims they plan on making in their pre-determined final report.
The Political Insider reported Monday that the biased committee is set to hold six public hearings alleging former President Donald Trump and his associates broke the law in trying to overturn the 2020 election results before issuing a final report around midterm elections time
Trump gave Loudermilk his “complete and total endorsement” over the weekend for the Republican primary in Georgia’s 11th Congressional District.
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