Johnson says House Republicans will investigate Jan. 6 committee
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday that House Republicans will investigate the disbanded House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Johnson hit President Biden in a post on the social platform X for awarding the Presidential Citizens Medal to former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), both of whom were Jan. 6 committee members.
Responding to another post from the New York Post about Cheney and Thompson, the Louisiana Republican said the president “is foolishly giving an award to members of Congress who intentionally and repeatedly lied to the American people.”
“The Jan 6 Select Committee manipulated AND destroyed evidence - created a fake, phony narrative all to try and hurt Trump,” Johnson added. “They even hired a TV producer from the legacy media in a desperate attempt to legitimize what Americans knew was a total hoax and complete waste of time.”
“Be assured of this: House Republicans WILL continue our investigation into this corrupt committee and it will be FULLY FUNDED so it can continue next Congress,” he continued.
In mid-December, Republicans released a report evaluating the “failures and politicization” of the Jan. 6 committee, rounding off their investigation by recommending a criminal investigation into Cheney.
“Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi’s multimillion-dollar Select Committee was a political weapon with a singular focus to deceive the public into blaming President Trump for the violence on January 6 and to tarnish the legacy of his first Presidency,” the report stated.
The report reiterated multiple claims spread by Republicans since the committee’s formation, protesting that the select committee was improperly made and unfairly blamed President-elect Trump. The conclusion of the report called for an FBI investigation into Cheney, accusing her of witness tampering via being in contact with former White House aide and star witness Cassidy Hutchinson.
Cheney has pushed back against the suggestion and the larger report.
“January 6th showed Donald Trump for who is really is – a cruel and vindictive man who allowed violent attacks to continue against our Capitol and law enforcement officers while he watched television and refused for hours to instruct his supporters to stand down and leave,” Cheney said in a previous statement.
The Hill has reached out to Thompson’s office and a spokesperson for Cheney for comment.