The new Republican speaker of the House of Representatives announced Friday that more than 40,000 hours of security video from the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol will be made public.
A Republican from Louisiana, Mike Johnson tweeted, “Today, I am keeping my promise to the American people and making all the January 6th tapes available to ALL Americans”, through his official ‘X’ handle.
“Truth and transparency are critical”, Johnson added in his tweet.
Johnson, who has sponsored former president Donald Trump’s candidature for re-election in 2024, said the Capitol Hill surveillance tape would be placed on a public website.
Johnson went on to say, “This decision will provide millions of Americans, criminal defendants, public interest organizations, and the media an ability to see for themselves what happened that day, rather than having to rely upon the interpretation of a small group of government officials”.
A congressional committee investigating the attack on Congress by Trump supporters aiming to block the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory has already analyzed thousands of hours of video material.
The House of Representatives select committee suggested Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate in 2024, be charged with rebellion and other offenses in connection with the Capitol riot.
Trump will stand trial in March on allegations of plotting to overthrow the 2020 election results, and over 1,200 people have been detained in connection with the January 6 attack on the Capitol.
Johnson stated that the faces of private residents will be obscured in order to prevent any persons from being targeted for retaliation, and that film of vital Capitol building security information would be withheld.
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