House Speaker Mike Johnson has released all 44,000 hours of footage from the events of January 6, 2021. This significant action provides public access to the comprehensive video records from Capitol Hill security, offering an unprecedented level of detail and scrutiny over the day’s events. [Source]
Speaker Johnson, accompanying the footage release, emphasized the importance of truth and transparency in his statement. “When I ran for Speaker, I promised to make accessible to the American people the 44,000 hours of video from Capitol Hill security taken on January 6, 2021. Today, we mark the beginning of a new era of openness,” Johnson stated.
The footage is now available on a public website, and a viewing room has been established to ensure every citizen can view the uncensored videos. This move allows millions of Americans, including criminal defendants, public interest organizations, and the media, to independently assess what transpired on that day.
Johnson’s team, under the guidance of Chairman Loudermilk, is carefully processing the footage. This involves blurring the faces of private citizens to prevent retaliation and segregating around 5% of the videos containing sensitive security details.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, instrumental in the appointment of Speaker Johnson, lauded the release. “HE WON’T LIE,” Gaetz wrote on X. “If he says he is going to do something, he is going to do it.” Gaetz led the ouster of Johnson’s predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, and has been a vocal advocate for transparency. [Source]
Former President Donald Trump praised Speaker Johnson for his courage in releasing the footage. “Congratulations to Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, for having the Courage and Fortitude to release all of the J6 Tapes, which will explicitly reveal what really happened on January 6th!” Trump commented on TRUTH.
In a related development, Sen. Mike Lee called for an investigation into the former House January 6 committee, accusing it of concealing parts of the footage. Lee’s comments further intensified the debate around the Capitol riots’ narrative. [Source]
The release of this extensive footage marks a significant moment. This decision opens a new chapter for the American public to independently witness and evaluate the events of January 6th.