House Speaker Announces Subcommittee to Uncover ‘Full Truth’ About Jan. 6

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 19, 2024. Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images

House Republicans led by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced a new select subcommittee investigating the events before and after the breach at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The subcommittee is mandated to “uncover the full truth that is owed to the American people,” Johnson said in a statement on Jan. 22, adding that the panel will be led by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.).

The committee will fall under the Judiciary Committee’s oversight, he said.

“House Republicans are proud of our work so far in exposing the false narratives peddled by the politically motivated January 6 Select Committee during the 117th Congress, but there is still more work to be done,” the speaker said, referring to a now-disbanded committee that was led by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

Few details were released about the scope of the new subcommittee’s work and whom it might investigate.

“What happened at the Capitol that day was the result of a series of intelligence, security, and leadership failures at multiple levels within numerous entities,“ Loudermilk said in the statement, adding that it will be a continuation of an ”investigation into the events.”

Previously, Loudermilk helped commission the release of multiple reports on Jan. 6, including one in December 2024 that was largely critical of the Cheney-led subcommittee. It also called for the former Wyoming congresswoman to be investigated “for potential criminal witness tampering based on the new information about her communication.”

In one of his last acts in office, President Joe Biden on Jan. 20 issued a preemptive pardon for Cheney, Thompson, and other members of the Jan. 6 subcommittee. Earlier in January, the former president awarded the second-highest civilian medal to Cheney and to Thompson for their work on the panel.

Later on, Trump, in one of his first acts as president, pardoned about 1,500 defendants who were charged with various Jan. 6-related crimes, including individuals associated with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers who were convicted of seditious conspiracy charges.

“This is a big one,” Trump said in the Oval Office while he signed pardons.

“We hope they come out tonight, frankly.”

One proclamation related to the commutation of sentence stated that it “ends a grave national injustice that has been perpetrated upon the American people over the last four years and begins a process of national reconciliation.”

A number of Democrats have criticized Trump’s decision.

“It is shameful that the President has decided to make one of his top priorities the abandonment and betrayal of police officers who put their lives on the line to stop an attempt to subvert the peaceful transfer of power,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a current member of Congress, said in a statement.

“Despite the President’s decision, we must always remember the extraordinary courage and valor of the law enforcement heroes who stood in the breach and ensured that democracy survived on that dark day.”

In a news conference on Jan. 22, Johnson told reporters that he will not “second-guess” the Jan. 6 pardons issued by Trump.

“It’s kind of my ethos, my worldview: We believe in redemption. We believe in second chances,” Johnson said.

“You could argue that those people didn’t pay a heavy penalty, having been incarcerated and all of that. That’s up to you. But the president’s made a decision. We move forward. There are better days ahead of us.”

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), in response to Trump’s decision, told reporters that “Biden opened the door on this,” referencing the Cheney pardon as well as the preemptive pardons that Biden issued for members of his own family.