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As 2023 got underway, and the new Republican majority in the House got to work, among the earliest priorities for the party was a new, GOP-friendly investigation into the Jan. 6 attack. The endeavor would be led by Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk, in his capacity as the chair of the House Administration’s subcommittee on oversight, who faced some awkward questions about a controversial Capitol tour the day before the riot.
After launching his own Jan. 6 probe, among the Georgia Republican’s first steps was exonerating himself.
In the months that followed, Loudermilk said he intended to determine “what really happened” on Jan. 6, indifferent to the fact that we already know what really happened.
It was against this backdrop that the GOP-led panel released some findings this week. Axios reported:
A Republican-led House committee on Monday released a report attempting to undermine the work of the Jan. 6 select committee. The report pushes back against the select committee’s focus on former President Trump, as the presumptive GOP presidential nominee reasserts his grip over the Republican Party. ... It’s the culmination of more than a year’s worth of investigation by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), who was targeted by the panel directly for information related to the insurrection.
For his part, Donald Trump was delighted with the developments. Others were far less impressed.
Former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who served as the bipartisan committee’s co-chair, said via social media, “If your response to Trump’s assault on our democracy is to lie & cover up what he did, attack the brave men & women who came forward with the truth, and defend the criminals who violently assaulted the Capitol, you need to rethink whose side you’re on. Hint: It’s not America’s.”
Similarly, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chaired the select committee, slammed the GOP’s latest effort as “dishonest,” while a senior Democratic congressional aide told Axios the Loudermilk-authored report was “yet another attempt to rewrite the history of January 6th and whitewash the events of that horrible, bloody, and violent day.”
In terms of the details, the Republicans on the House Administration’s oversight panel released a one-page summary of their initial findings, as well as an accompanying 81-page report with more details. There are really only a half-dozen core claims, so let’s take them one at a time
1. “The Select Committee Was Designed To Promote A Political Narrative”
According to the GOP-led panel, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “refused to appoint minority members chosen by the minority” to the select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack. The claim isn’t quite right: While it’s true that Pelosi rejected some of the members chosen by Republican leaders — due entirely to their radical record on the issue — she was willing to accept other Republicans chosen by their party’s leaders for the panel. It wasn't her fault the GOP responded by boycotting the probe, which was a move the party came to regret.
2. “Cheney Was Vice Chair, A Position Reserved For A Democrat.
According to the GOP findings, Cheney “was not the minority ranking member but served as Vice Chair of the Select Committee — a position under House Rules for a member of the same party as the Chair.” That’s true, though I’m at a loss to understand why this is intended as criticism: Democrats gave a Republican congresswoman even more authority and influence than originally planned? Shouldn’t the GOP see this as a good thing?
3. “The Select Committee Deleted Records And Hid Evidence.”
This is a claim the former president has touted with great enthusiasm, but it still isn’t true.
4. “The Select Committee Promoted 'Star Witness' Hutchinson’s Testimony.”
According to the GOP-led panel, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson sat down with investigators and “substantially revised her story” and “significantly changed” her testimony over time. That’s true, but we already knew that: Hutchinson was more forthcoming with investigators after she changed lawyers and was no longer represented by counsel who was being paid by Team Trump.
5. “Hutchinson’s Sensational Story About Trump Lunging At Steering Wheel In SUV After Speech At The Ellipse Was Directly Refuted By Driver Of The SUV.”
This element appears to have generated a lot of coverage overnight, but it’s not exactly groundbreaking. Nearly two years ago, Hutchinson relayed a dramatic story that she’d heard about Trump’s conduct in an SUV on Jan. 6, while Republicans apparently heard a different version of events from a Secret Service agent. If this is the best GOP members can come up with to concoct a Jan. 6 counternarrative and undermine the select committee, it’s not much.
6. “The Select Committee Colluded With Fani Willis.”
According to the House Republicans, the Fulton County district attorney “wrote to the Select Committee seeking assistance with her prosecution of President Trump.” I haven’t the foggiest idea why this should be seen as controversial. Congressional investigators cooperate with law enforcement all the time. It’s been normal for many, many years. Who cares?
After a year of investigating, Loudermilk and his GOP colleagues have clearly failed to deliver the goods. Those looking for a compelling rewrite of the reality-based version of Jan. 6 will have to look elsewhere.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.