Speaker Johnson Says GOP Is Blurring Faces In Capitol Riot Tapes
On Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La) confirmed House Republicans are blurring the faces of individuals seen on January 6, 2021 Capitol footage to avoid retaliation from the Justice Department.
“We have to blur some of the faces of persons who participated in the events of that day because we don’t want them to be retaliated against and to be charged by the DOJ and to have other concerns and problems,” Johnson said in a press conference on Tuesday.
“We’re working steadily on it. And we’ve hired additional personnel to do that,” Johnson said. “And all of those tapes, ultimately at the end, will be out so everybody can see them.”
“I don’t think partisan elected officials in Washington should present a narrative and expect that it should be seen as the ultimate truth,” Johnson said of Jan. 6.
“The release of the January 6 tapes is a critical and important exercise. We want transparency,” Johnson said. “House Republicans trust the American people to draw their own conclusions.”
Last month, House Republicans released some of the security footage from the riot and posted it online where its available to the public. However, with the change in Speaker leadership the House Administration Committee is now proactively reviewing all footage and posting as much online as possible, as well as allowing members of the public to request time at the in-person terminals.