Jeffries Warns Republicans Over New Jan. 6 Committee
House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) cautioned Republicans on Monday that their decision to revisit the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack could lead them to regret their actions.
He emphasized that Democrats plan to leverage their involvement in a recently initiated GOP survey regarding the event to highlight former President Trump’s role in inciting violence that day.
“Republicans will regret deciding to go down this path,” Jeffries remarked while speaking to reporters in the Capitol.
Recently, Republicans voted to form a new committee tasked with investigating the January 6 incident. This move comes nearly three years after the initial Select Committee’s report criticized Trump for instigating the riots. The new committee will have the authority to investigate the findings of the previous panel.
Republican leaders have defended Trump’s actions related to the attack and dismissed the original investigation as a biased effort aimed at undermining him politically. There’s a belief among them that the new committee might absolve White House allies who were energized following the 2021 incident.
“Our goal is to answer outstanding questions, unveil the facts, and implement reforms to ensure that something like this never happens again,” said Councilman Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chair of the new committee.
“It’s time to finish the work.”
Democrats, meanwhile, intend to use this new investigation to not only address Trump’s actions but also to shed light on the violence inflicted upon police officers by his supporters and the actions of certain loyalists who benefited from Trump’s pardons.
As a key member of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) will automatically be included in the new panel, and Jeffries also put forward three additional Democratic nominees: Eric Swalwell (California), Jasmine Crockett (Texas), and Jared Moskowitz (Florida).
“Donald Trump is aligning himself with the same conspiracy theories that fringe groups presented on January 6 and September 11,” Swalwell mentioned on Monday. “He claims it was a hologram or missile rather than a plane that crashed into a building, and that’s why we dismissed those absurd ideas.”
Raskin, who was part of the first January 6 committee, described the previous investigation as an “attempt to rewrite history” regarding the events of that day. He challenged Republicans to identify errors in the original committee’s investigation.
“The reality is, they haven’t provided any counter-evidence regarding the key points laid out in the January 6 Bipartisan Selection Committee report,” he stated, dismissing bizarre claims about ANTIFA and the FBI.
“This is a chance to educate new generations about the threats of political authoritarianism and the risks associated with political and religious cults.”
While Jeffries has the power to name Democratic members to the new committee, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) retains the authority to reject any nominations he finds unsuitable. In 2021, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had previously dismissed two Republican selections, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and former Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), due to their controversial ties to January 6.
It’s currently unclear if Johnson will approve the four Democratic nominees. Jeffries mentioned that he has notified Johnson about his choices but indicated he hasn’t yet received a response.
“We made him aware of our selections, and there’s no precedent for any party dictating membership in a subcommittee if they genuinely want to take the work seriously,” Jeffries added.
Johnson’s office did not respond to inquiries for comment on Monday.
