Democrats have slammed Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk after he released a January 6 report in which he calls for a criminal investigation into Liz Cheney while deflecting blame from Donald Trump.
The report was released just weeks before Trump is set to take office after winning the presidential election. Throughout his campaign, he expressed a desire to pardon the January 6 rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the 2020 Presidential election. Additionally, he has threatened to imprison members of the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack for daring to investigate the incident. He and the GOP have specifically targeted former representative Cheney, considering she is just one of two Republicans to serve on the committee. Despite being a staunch Republican, she was one of the very few members of the party who completely turned on Trump after Jan. 6 and has been adamant about holding him accountable for his role in the insurrection.
Now, Loudermilk and his House Administration Oversight Subcommittee have released a 128-page report directing attention to Cheney, the January 6 Committee, and Capitol police instead of Trump.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk calls for FBI investigation into Liz Cheney
On December 17, Loudermilk released the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight’s interim report on its investigation on January 6. Much of the report centers on the January 6 Committee and criticism of its investigation. It accuses Cheney of “criminal witness tampering” and “colluding” with witness Cassidy Hutchinson, as well as accuses Cheney and the Committee of being “politicized” and biased against Trump. Loudermilk suggests Cheney should be investigated by the FBI for her alleged crimes while also steering blame away from Trump and instead calling for further probes into the Capitol police and intelligence community.
Loudermilk’s report is noticeably devoid of finality and concrete proof for its allegation. Instead, it appears to be an appeal for Republicans to launch further investigations into January 6 and the committee that investigated it, likely in hopes of reaching a new, more favorable conclusion for the party’s agenda. Democrats quickly slammed his report, including Bennie Thompson, who chaired the January 6 Committee. In response to Loudermilk’s report, Thompson issued a scathing statement condemning the “so-called” report and calling it out as a mere attempt to rewrite history. He stated:
His so-called ‘report’ is filled with baseless, conclusory allegations rather than facts. That’s because there’s no escaping the reality that Donald Trump bears the responsibility for the deadly January 6th attack, no matter how much Mr. Loudermilk would love to rewrite history for his political purposes.
Cheney released a statement via Bluesky, in which she defended the January 6 Committee and outlined the meticulous investigation methods it utilized to reach its conclusion, which was the same conclusion the Department of Justice reached. She slammed Loudermilk’s report, which she states “fabricates lies and defamatory allegations in an attempt to cover up what Trump did.” Cheney didn’t appear frightened of the FBI investigation Loudermilk called for, as she confidently stated no “reputable” lawyer or legislator would take the claims in the report seriously.
Democratic Rep. Norma J. Torres, who is on the Oversight Committee, also penned a letter condemning Loudermilk’s report and actions, accusing him of wasting valuable time spreading “conspiracy theories about the January 6 Select Committee.” The potential for bias should also raise concerns, considering Loudermilk was a subject of interest for the January 6 Committee, which released surveillance footage of him giving an unofficial tour of the Capitol to several individuals the day before the insurrection, including a man who would attend the Trump rally on January 6. It almost seems retaliatory for him to lead the inquiry on the January 6 Committee after it released footage proving his involvement in a tour that he tried to deny.
It remains to be seen if anything will come of Loudermilk’s report. However, the fact that Republicans and Trump are setting the stage to try to prosecute Cheney for investigating Trump is deeply concerning. It is a clear attempt to silence and intimidate Trump’s adversaries and allow him and his followers to rewrite history in a manner that ignores mountains of evidence.
Published: Dec 18, 2024 03:42 pm