Speaker Johnson to make all Jan. 6 tapes available to public 'immediately'Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will make all surveillance footage of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot available for the public to access online starting "immediately," the House leader announced Friday.
The tapes will be posted on a public website and contain more than 44,000 hours of security footage taken during the Jan. 6 riot, barring any video that contains sensitive security information or "information that would lead to retaliation of private citizens," according to the speaker's office. The website launched Friday with its first tranche of footage, and the House Administration Committee will continue posting additional videos over the next several months.
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"This decision will provide millions of Americans, criminal defendants, public interest organizations, and the media an ability to see for themselves what happened that day, rather than having to rely upon the interpretation of a small group of government officials," Johnson said in a statement.
The videos will blur the faces of private citizens to ensure no one is "targeted for retaliation of any kind," the speaker said. Roughly 5% of the video footage will not be posted due to sensitive security information "related to the building architecture."
The public will also have an option to view the footage in person at the Capitol building inside the subcommittee’s offices. The public can begin reserving time to view the videos on Monday.
“The goal of our investigation has been to provide the American people with transparency on what happened at the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and this includes all official video from that day,” said Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), chairman of the House Administration Committee's Oversight Subcommittee. “We will continue loading video footage as we conduct our investigation and continue to review footage. As I’ve said all along — the American people deserve transparency, accountability, and real answers supported by facts instead a predetermined political narrative."
Those who view the footage in person will not be permitted to have cellphones, cameras, or recording devices with them and will be subject to time restrictions. Access to certain video clips will be determined by the committee.
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The release comes after a monthslong push from House Republicans to make public the riot footage, particularly from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who used it as a negotiating condition with Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) during the speakership election in January. McCarthy agreed to release the tapes in exchange for Gaetz's support, which the Florida Republican later used as a reason to oust the former speaker from his top leadership position.
During his campaign for House speaker after McCarthy's removal, Johnson vowed to release the tapes if he secured the gavel, which was praised by Gaetz, who later supported his candidacy.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house/speaker-mike-johnson-make-all-jan-6-tapes-available
