Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), ranking GOP member of the House Administration Committee, is demanding that U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) release security footage tapes from Jan. 5, 2021, after the Jan. 6 panel made “demonstrably false” allegations against another House Republican.
Specifically, in a letter to the USCP, Davis cited “recent press reports, [that] the partisan January 6th Select Committee has falsely accused Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) … of leading so-called reconnaissance tours of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 5, 2021.”
This charge, Davis said, “is demonstrably false. As you are aware, [Administration] Committee Minority staff have reviewed all footage in question and have confirmed no ‘reconnaissance tours’ occurred.”
Davis also foresaw and rejected claims that the tapes he requested would pose a security risk if released to the public, noting that the same tapes have already been made public in some capacity.
“Any argument that this footage represents sensitive ‘security information’ was destroyed once the Board provided copies
to Democrat impeachment managers for public dissemination or it otherwise became available to the public,” Davis wrote.
Concluding the letter, Davis wrote: “If the Board has any hope of preserving a reputation as an unbiased security agency and re-establishing itself as a non-partisan entity, there is no alternative but to release the tapes. If the Board does not release the relevant footage in a timely manner, I will have no choice but to exercise my authority under 2 U.S.C. $ 1979 to release the footage myself.”
The Jan. 6 panel originally leveled the charge against Loudermilk in a May 19 letter requesting his “voluntary cooperation in advancing our investigation” (pdf).
“We believe you have information regarding a tour you led through parts of the Capitol complex on Jan. 5, 2021,” the letter said.
“The foregoing information raises questions to which the Select Committee must seek answers,” the Jan. 6 panel continued. “Public reporting and witness accounts indicate some individuals and groups engaged in efforts to gather information about the layout of the U.S. Capitol, as well as the House and Senate office buildings, in advance of January 6, 2021. For example, in the week following January 6th, Members urged law enforcement leaders to investigate sightings of ‘outside groups in the complex’ on January 5th that ‘appeared to be associated with the rally at the White House the following day.’”
This is an excerpt from The Epoch Times.
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