U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) has raised concerns that members of the House January 6 Committee might be on the hook for criminal referrals due to the alleged destruction of records.
Loudermilk has been delving into the actions of the partisan committee, which shattered over a century of House tradition by denying then-GOP House Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) the right to select opposition members. His scrutiny began after the committee presented its findings.
In a revelation last year, Loudermilk disclosed that the committee had wiped out documents, text messages, and other crucial records. This move came despite incoming House Speaker McCarthy’s explicit orders to safeguard all materials linked to the investigation.
In a recent discussion with John Solomon of Just The News, Loudermilk hinted that criminal referrals could soon be in the pipeline for former Reps. Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and possibly others.
“When it comes to holding people accountable, yes, they should be,” Loudermilk emphasized. “But I believe that’s going to take some time because there’s a lot more information we need to uncover. It’s not just about shedding light on the truth for the American people but also grasping the enormity of this potential case of obstruction.”
The Georgia Republican also mentioned that alternative measures, such as reprimands or referrals to the House Ethics Committee, are under consideration if the committee members are shielded from prosecution.
“We need to explore other options as well. There are ethical considerations, obviously, and the matter of censorship. Additionally, some members of that select committee are no longer serving in Congress, so they might fall under different circumstances. We have the tools at our disposal as members of Congress, but there are also certain protections for current lawmakers,” Loudermilk elaborated. “So we’ll need to navigate this carefully because, as you mentioned earlier, we’re venturing into uncharted territory.”
The January 6 committee, notorious for hiring a Hollywood producer to jazz up its prime-time hearings, has been accused of disseminating misinformation to the public. In one instance, the committee aired testimony from former Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson, who alleged that Trump tried to seize control of a Secret Service vehicle and drive it back to the Capitol during the protests that turned violent. However, this claim has been refuted by Secret Service agents.
Moreover, the committee has been accused of selectively showcasing video footage while ignoring the fact that law enforcement’s actions triggered the riot by firing crowd control munitions at peaceful demonstrators. This crucial footage, along with an additional 14,000 hours, was kept hidden from the public eye, replaced by cherry-picked snippets.