The Biden administration has responded to House Republicans in the ongoing dispute over Jan. 6 select committee transcripts, offering to share unredacted testimony that the GOP has sought for months.
The administration, represented by Richard Sauber from the White House Counsel’s Office, outlined specific conditions for sharing the unredacted transcripts with Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), who has been leading a review of the Capitol attack and the previous committee’s investigative work.
In a two-page letter obtained by POLITICO, Sauber stated that the administration would make the unredacted transcripts available to Loudermilk for review in camera, meaning he could examine them but not keep copies.
Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia (Credits: CNN)
The conditions include a written agreement from Loudermilk to abide by the bipartisan commitments made by the Select Committee.
These commitments entail maintaining the anonymity of four witnesses and preventing the disclosure of “operational details and private information.”
Loudermilk has been pushing for the administration to provide the records, characterized as interviews with White House employees present during the Capitol attack.
The Jan. 6 select committee had released the majority of its evidence but withheld some White House transcripts pending further review and redaction by the White House and Department of Homeland Security.
Republicans have voiced concerns about redactions and speculated that the transcripts might contradict the committee’s findings.
The offer from the Biden administration gives House Republicans access to previously unavailable unredacted testimony, providing insight into individuals who “worked at the White House on January 6, 2021, during the Trump Administration, serving in non-partisan roles, including in positions with national security responsibilities.”
Loudermilk, who had recently sent a letter reiterating his request for unredacted transcripts, has not yet responded to the White House offer.
If he accepts, it will mark a significant development, granting House Republicans access to key information not previously accessible to them or the public.
The individuals referenced in the unredacted transcripts are described as having national security responsibilities and non-partisan roles during the Trump Administration. The select committee’s final report had included references to interviews with White House employees without divulging specific details.
Loudermilk has hinted at his speculation regarding the interviews, suggesting that they may not have gone the way Democrats hoped.
The transcripts include information about Trump’s reaction to then-Vice President Mike Pence and conversations among top Trump lawyers about the president’s reluctance to intervene during the Capitol violence.
In his recent letter to the White House, Loudermilk had warned of potential subpoenas if the administration did not comply with the request for unredacted transcripts.
It remains to be seen how this development will impact the ongoing review of the Jan. 6 select committee’s work and the partisan dynamics surrounding the Capitol attack investigation.
