As Republicans prepare to capitalize on their strengthened hold in Washington, one of the earliest signals of their agenda is the creation of a new committee aimed at revisiting the January 6 Capitol attack—but with a distinctly different perspective.
Georgia Congressman Barry Loudermilk, a vocal opponent of the original bipartisan January 6 select committee, has secured the backing of House Speaker Mike Johnson to formally establish his own investigative panel.
The pair commemorated the announcement with a symbolic photo, ushering in what is expected to be a politically charged effort to recast the events of that day and shift focus toward prior investigations and Democratic officials.
Georgia Republican Barry Loudermilk officially confirmed that his probe into the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, will evolve into a formal committee in the upcoming congressional session. The photo featuring Loudermilk alongside Speaker Johnson marked the launch of this initiative, which embodies the GOP’s ongoing push to reshape the narrative surrounding the 2021 insurrection.
With Republicans set to control both the House and Senate, alongside the White House, the party plans to resurrect several inquiries from the previous Congress under its new leadership. Loudermilk told CNN that the exact structure of the committee is still being worked out, with possibilities including greater control for Speaker Johnson over member selection and committee operations.
This Republican-led endeavor is widely seen as part of a broader strategy to deflect blame from former President Donald Trump regarding the Capitol attack. It will also highlight Loudermilk’s earlier efforts, including his controversial call for the FBI to investigate former Rep. Liz Cheney, a co-chair of the original January 6 panel.
Loudermilk criticized the initial committee’s narrow scope, arguing it unfairly singled out Trump as the sole cause, while the reality involved multiple systemic failures. He also questioned the inclusion of “January 6” in the new committee’s name, suggesting the label could be divisive and limiting, as the committee aims to address broader security concerns beyond that single day.
Speaker Johnson has pledged full funding for this new investigation, reinforcing the Republican commitment to revisit and scrutinize the original bipartisan inquiry into the Capitol events.
Beyond January 6, Republicans have ramped up their investigatory efforts by reissuing subpoenas this week targeting two Justice Department tax investigators involved in the Hunter Biden probe, as well as special counsel Robert Hur, who led the inquiry into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. These actions represent attempts to revive stalled legal battles from the previous congressional session.
The renewed subpoenas now place responsibility on Trump’s incoming Justice Department, which is expected to be more cooperative in fulfilling congressional document and testimony requests.
One subpoena demands audio recordings from interviews between President Biden and his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, regarding classified materials from Biden’s vice presidency—recordings obtained by Hur. Conservative groups, including the Heritage Foundation and media outlets such as CNN, are pushing for the release of these materials through the courts, despite Justice Department objections citing confidentiality.
Additional subpoenas target DOJ tax officials Jack Morgan and Mark Daly, stemming from ongoing efforts by the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the Hunter Biden case. Previous subpoenas were blocked by the DOJ, and legal battles to compel testimony remain pending before D.C. District Judge Ana Reyes. Attempts to reach Morgan’s and Daly’s representatives for comment were unsuccessful.
Even before the new Congress officially convened, House Republicans signaled intentions to probe special counsel David Weiss’s prosecution of Hunter Biden and special counsel Jack Smith’s cases against Donald Trump. However, efforts to disrupt these prosecutions have largely been unsuccessful as the legal processes continue.
In Summary
The establishment of a new January 6 committee spearheaded by Rep. Barry Loudermilk signals a determined Republican effort to revise the narrative around the Capitol attack and expand the investigation’s scope. With GOP control of both chambers of Congress and the presidency, this move is part of a larger strategy to revisit and challenge Democratic-led inquiries, while advancing the party’s own oversight priorities.
From attempts to discredit the original January 6 committee to reenergizing investigations into Hunter Biden and classified document cases involving President Biden, the Republican majority is laying the foundation for a series of high-profile probes. As the new Congress takes shape, Republicans appear intent on leveraging their expanded power to steer both political and legal debates on some of the country’s most divisive issues.