OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
House Republicans have kicked off their own version of a Jan. 6 committee that will “reinvestigate” what happened at the U.S. Capitol in 2021. Georgia Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk, the chairman of the committee, said they will “investigate both sides” and “show what really happened on Jan. 6.”
Several Republicans were issued subpoenas by the Democrat-led committee last year. Now, Republicans are debating turning up the heat on the woman responsible for selecting the panel: Nancy Pelosi.
Republicans previously sent Pelosi a letter asking why she did not do more to protect the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, including requesting National Guard deployments and a bulked-up Capitol Police presence.
“I’m gonna tell you the truth: Yes, I do,” said Georgia GOP Rep. Buddy Carter when asked if he believes Republicans should issue a subpoena to Pelosi.
“This is setting the precedent, and we’re just not gonna lie down and let this happen. There are serious questions about her role on January 6 and exactly what she did and what she didn’t do. And we need to get to the bottom of that,” he added.
Several other Republicans previously said there is broad support for issuing a subpoena to Pelosi.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a subpoena there,” said Florida Republican Rep. Brian Mast.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who called for an investigation into Pelosi over her role, went off earlier this year when discussing the committee approving a criminal contempt report to hold Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress.
“There have been subpoenas issued to 11 individuals, 11 American citizens who asked the government permission on an application to hold the Trump rally,” Jordan said.
“The government granted it and now the January 6 committee petitions them to ask them questions about exercising their First Amendment right to assemble,” he added.
“And why would they subpoena me? I didn’t do anything wrong — I talked to the president,” Jordan said. “I talk to the president all the time. I just think that’s — you know where I’m at on this commission — this is all about going after President Trump. That seems obvious.”
Loudermilk also declared that the panel would consider seeking an interview with Pelosi, including any decisions made about Capitol security ahead of Jan. 6.
“If we need to, we would like for her to come and talk to us about it,” Loudermilk said, adding the panel might seek to interview former members of the House Jan. 6 committee, Roll Call reported.
Republicans also asserted that U.S. Capitol Police have failed to make necessary changes following Jan. 6 despite having a budget they say rivals many big-city departments.
“One of the reasons it’s important that we look back is so we can identify where the failures were and move forward. Our concern is there has been a lack of looking back by the previous leadership of Capitol Police,” said Loudermilk.
House Republicans are also calling on Bank of America to officially respond to allegations that it shared customer information with federal investigators looking into the events of Jan. 6.
Jordan and Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, chairman of the Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee, sent a letter to Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan requesting he provides documents related to the company’s alleged cooperation with the DOJ and FBI.
“The Committee on the Judiciary and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government are conducting oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation … and its receipt of information about American citizens from private entities,” the letter reads. “An FBI whistleblower has disclosed that shortly after the events at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, Bank of America … provided the FBI — voluntarily and without any legal process — with a list of individuals who had made transactions in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area with a BoA credit or debit card between Jan. 5 and Jan. 7, 2021.”
