Rep. Barry Loudermilk has raised serious concerns about the integrity of the final report produced by the Jan. 6 committee. According to Loudermilk, the investigators behind the report seemed more focused on crafting a political narrative against former President Donald Trump rather than conducting a thorough analysis of the security failures that occurred during the Capitol breach on that fateful day.
As the head of the oversight panel investigating the now-disbanded House Select Committee on Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol, Loudermilk has voiced his reservations about the selective manner in which evidence was presented to build a biased case against Trump.
In an exclusive interview with Washington Times Commentary Editor Kelly Sadler, Loudermilk expressed his belief that the committee cherry-picked evidence to support the notion that Trump orchestrated and executed the Capitol attack.
Trump (Credits: NPR)
Furthermore, Loudermilk highlighted the unprecedented level of coordination between the Jan. 6 committee and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, particularly in relation to her racketeering case against Trump and 18 co-defendants. He questioned whether the committee withheld exculpatory evidence from both the American public and Willis, thereby compromising the integrity of the investigation.
The congressman underscored the committee’s failure to conduct impartial questioning during taped depositions and emphasized the lack of thoroughness in questioning certain witnesses. Loudermilk criticized the committee’s use of heavily edited videos to perpetuate false accusations against GOP lawmakers, himself included, suggesting complicity in the events of January 6, 2021.
He noted that individuals targeted by the committee were not even present at the Capitol during the breach, with some being located at the Ellipse instead. Even the U.S. Capitol Police, according to Loudermilk, exonerated these individuals, stating that their actions were not suspicious.
In response to Loudermilk’s criticisms, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, the Democratic chair of the Jan. 6 committee, defended the committee’s work and conclusions.
Thompson asserted that the committee thoroughly considered the testimony of all witnesses and accused Loudermilk of attempting to deflect attention away from Trump’s responsibility for the violence of January 6, as well as his own refusal to cooperate with the committee’s inquiries.
