Republican Representative Barry Loudermilk of Georgia revealed that House Speaker Mike Johnson has promised him that his ongoing inquiry into the events of January 6 will be formalized as a new committee. This is a move that aligns with broader Republican plans to continue the investigations that were initially launched during the previous Congress.
Loudermilk, who has been involved in investigating the Capitol attack, shared with CNN that while the exact structure of the new committee is still being worked out, one potential arrangement could allow Speaker Johnson more control over the composition and operations of the panel. This new committee would be classified as a “select committee,” a designation often given to temporary groups formed to investigate specific issues of national importance.
This development marks a clear shift in the Republican approach to the January 6 attack, which was initially investigated by a bipartisan committee under the leadership of Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney. The previous committee produced a high-profile report that placed significant blame on former President Donald Trump for his role in inciting the violence, but this new investigation seems to aim at a different narrative.
Loudermilk has been a vocal critic of the previous January 6 select committee, which he described as being “so singularly focused” on former President Trump that it overlooked other potential contributing factors to the Capitol riot. According to Loudermilk, the earlier investigation was biased and failed to address the full range of failures that led to the attack. He asserted that, rather than focusing solely on Trump’s actions, the committee should have looked at other failures at various levels of government.
The creation of this new committee, which Loudermilk says will continue his work, also signals a renewed focus by Republicans on preventing President Trump from being held accountable for the violence of January 6. Loudermilk has even recommended that the FBI charge former Rep. Liz Cheney, a central figure in the original investigation, for her involvement in the committee. This is part of a larger narrative Republicans are pushing to investigate what they perceive as politically motivated actions by their opponents, especially related to the handling of the January 6 events.
House Speaker Mike Johnson has publicly declared that this new investigation will be “fully funded,” signaling that Republicans intend to commit substantial resources to the effort. This could include not just continuing the inquiry into the security failures during the Capitol attack but also revisiting some of the findings of the previous select committee. The new committee could seek to challenge or revise aspects of the prior investigation that Republicans believe were politically charged or incomplete.
The move to form this new committee is just one piece of a larger Republican strategy to maintain focus on investigations they believe will resonate with their base. While the inquiry into the Capitol riot remains a key issue, it is part of a broader effort by Republicans to continue pursuing investigations into various matters related to the Biden administration and Democratic figures.
In addition to the January 6 investigation, Republicans have reissued subpoenas to two Justice Department tax investigators who worked on the Hunter Biden case and the investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. These subpoenas signal that Republicans intend to revive previous congressional efforts that have faced legal challenges and remain unresolved. The party aims to use its new majority to continue pushing for these investigations, which have already been politically charged and controversial.
As these investigations ramp up, the Democrats have not remained silent. Sen. Adam Schiff, a prominent Democrat from California who served as a leading member of the previous January 6 committee, recently addressed rumors surrounding President Joe Biden potentially pardoning those involved in the earlier investigation, such as Cheney and himself. Schiff’s comments further highlight the political tensions surrounding the continued investigations into the events of January 6.
This renewed focus on January 6, alongside the broader Republican investigations into Biden administration matters, demonstrates the ongoing political and ideological divide that will likely continue to shape the legislative agenda for the foreseeable future. While the specifics of the new committee and its mandate remain to be fully detailed, it is clear that Republicans are committed to investigating the events surrounding January 6 and other politically sensitive issues, regardless of the outcome of previous probes.
