Surveillance cameras are everywhere in America these days, from highway observation points to security in businesses and office buildings.
The federal government is a big fan and in the U.S. Capitol, they are in abundance.
And they caught virtually all of the activity leading up to and during the so-called “insurrection” of Jan. 6, 2021.
Some, in fact, show security officers holding the doors open for those who had just left a rally with President Trump and were there to “protest” what they perceived as an illegitimate election result.
So when disputes arise, a resolution should be simple: Watch what happened, right?
Except that a lot of that video has been made unavailable by Democrat leaders in Congress. A commentary at PJMedia charges, “Congressional rules, and the iron will of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have managed to impede the release of anything other than the committee’s carefully curated chosen video.”
But that wall of secrecy now may be breached.
The Hill explains that Republicans, even though it may cost them to get copies of Pelosi’s secrets, are threatening to release them publicly.
That’s because of Democrat charges against Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., that he led tours the day before the riot.
He’s a member of the House Administration Committee, and Republicans long have wanted the tapes released because of claims they led “reconnaissance tours” of rioters ahead of the riot.
Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., told the Capitol Police Board that staff members “have reviewed all footage in question and have confirmed no ‘reconnaissance tours’ occurred.”
“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,” he wrote.
At issue is the control of the information by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s partisan committee assigned to investigation that riot. While the committee includes two Republicans, they both were picked by Pelosi, who earlier rejected a list of nominees assembled by the GOP.
As both have openly declared their hostility to former President Trump, the committee essentially appears partisan.
Democrats have claimed they saw “unusual” visitor activity the day before the riot, and the GOP earlier chose to review the video rather than spend thousands of dollars to obtain it directly.
But now that Pelosi’s committee is targeting one of the GOP members with accusations, the circumstances may be different.
A congressional aide told The Hill, “Clearly things have changed when one of our committee members is being insinuated that he led reconnaissance tours in the Capitol on Jan. 5 when we know for a fact the video footage shows otherwise.”
Bennie Thompson, the Democrat from Mississippi who heads the Pelosi commission, claimed there was evidence on the video.
Loudermilk has confirmed he had visitors, including “people that we met at church, they were supporters of the president, they just wanted to be up here as if it was another rally.”
Capitol Police have said they will not willingly release the footage.
At PJMedia, it was reported the “carefully chosen group of members of Congress” were investigating Jan. 6, “while carefully withholding anything that might interfere with the narrative they’re constructing.”
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