In just a matter of weeks, the lay of the land in the House of Representatives will look much different than it does today, and that should have some Democrats more than just a little worried.
The Republican Party is set to be taking over the lower chamber of Congress come January, and that could mean a number long-awaited investigations into Democratic wrongdoing could be coming.
Incoming GOP leader Kevin McCarthy is already making sure that at least one Democrat-run committee is prepared to hand over evidence.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader who hopes to become speaker soon, has put the committee investigating the attack on the Capitol on notice that Republicans intend to review its work. McCarthy sent a letter on Wednesday to Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the panel’s chairman, telling him that all records and transcripts produced during its term must be preserved so GOP members can look at them when they take control of the House next month, Politico reports. “The American people have a right to know that the allegations you have made are supported by the facts and to be able to view the transcripts,” McCarthy wrote.
Thompson has already said the panel intends to release its report this month, now that it’s interviewed its final witness. The release is to cover interviews of more than 1,000 witnesses. The documents will be “not just preserved, but made available to the public,” Thompson said late Wednesday, per the Hill.
Then came a rather vague and subtle threat.
McCarthy also said the Republicans’ review will keep in mind the law that prohibits lying to the federal government; it wasn’t clear what or whom he was referring to. He also said the GOP House will hold hearings to learn “why the Capitol complex was not secure” on Jan. 6, 2021.
Many within the GOP have long suggested that the true motivations of the January 6th select committee were in influencing the 2024 election as opposed to investigating the aftermath of the 2020 election, and come 2023, Congress may just get to the bottom of it.
