House Speaker Mike Johnson has made available a collection of tapes documenting the January 6th, 2021 Capitol riot for public viewing on the Committee on House Administration’s website. Speaker Johnson announced his intention to release the tapes on a specified date and subsequently provided a link to access the footage. In a statement on X, Johnson emphasized the importance of transparency to restore trust and faith in the government, aligning with promises made during his tenure as Speaker.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy had previously shared some January 6th footage with Tucker Carlson, co-founder of the Daily Caller. Starting from November 20, the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight will enable Americans to access the footage in person, according to a press release from the subcommittee.
Johnson, in another post on X, explained the decision to release the tapes, stating, “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.” The processing of the footage will involve blurring the faces of private citizens to prevent any potential targeting for retaliation and segregating approximately 5% of the videos containing sensitive security information related to the building architecture.
The U.S. Capitol Police security cameras recorded footage of the Capitol riot, including videos previously released by Tucker Carlson. Additional footage will be progressively uploaded to the website following the initial release. Republican Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk, Chairman of the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight, affirmed the goal of the investigation is to provide transparency and accountability to the American people, supported by factual information rather than a predetermined political narrative.
As of November 6, 2023, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has prosecuted over 1,200 individuals from nearly all 50 states in connection with the January 6th riot.
