In a startling revelation, Chair of the House Administration Committee’s Oversight Subcommittee, Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), disclosed on Monday that the partisan January 6 Committee had deleted over 100 encrypted files just days before Republicans resumed control of the House. The missing files, identified by Loudermilk's forensics team on January 1, 2023, are believed to be significant as they may contain crucial information used in the prosecution of former President Donald Trump in Fulton County, Georgia.
The disclosure comes in the wake of a Politico report on January 10, alleging collusion between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and the January 6 Committee to obtain information for the prosecution of Trump. The committee had informed lawmakers that it either lost or did not possess much of the information gathered during its January 6 hearings. However, if the Politico report is accurate, the committee not only provided Willis with the information for Trump's prosecution but also subsequently deleted it.
Loudermilk's forensics analysis identified 117 missing files, raising questions about whether the committee intentionally deleted or encrypted them. Loudermilk has now demanded the passwords for the encrypted files, which could potentially contain interviews and depositions challenging the narrative presented by the partisan committee.
Speaking to Fox News, Loudermilk expressed concerns about the committee's actions, stating, "It’s obvious that [the J6 committee] went to great lengths to prevent Americans from seeing certain documents produced in their investigation." He further suggested that committee members, Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney, might have obstructed the Oversight Subcommittee by failing to preserve critical information and videos as required by House rules.
Loudermilk emphasized the importance of transparency and getting the truth out, asserting, "Because the American people have a right to know what happened. My main goal is to get the truth out there and give the American people the ability to make their own determination on this with facts."
Highlighting the intelligence available regarding the Capitol attack, Loudermilk added, "We do know there was plenty of intelligence that there was going to be an attack on the Capitol. So Secret Service knew of it. The FBI knew of it. Department of Defense had intelligence. Homeland Security had intelligence." He raised concerns that this intelligence did not reach the Capitol Police Intelligence Division, and the chief was unaware of it.
As the controversy surrounding the January 6 Committee deepens, questions about transparency, accountability, and the pursuit of truth in relation to the Capitol attack are likely to become focal points of scrutiny.
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