MaddowBlog-Republicans launch yet another Jan. 6 probe, abandoning their 'looking forward' rhetoric [View all]
Last edited Sat Sep 6, 2025, 01:56 PM - Edit history (1)
The GOPs Jan. 6 probe during the last Congress was an embarrassing dud. Rather than learn an obvious lesson, the party is going to give it another try.
Republican leaders: Weâre âlooking forwardâ and leaving Jan. 6 in the rearview mirror.
Same Republican leaders: Weâre launching another Jan. 6 investigation, since our last one was a pitiful embarrassment. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-09-04T19:53:20.115Z
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/republicans-launch-yet-another-jan-6-probe-abandoning-looking-forward-rcna229034
As it happens, that wasnt altogether true. GOP officials didnt want to look back at Trumps pardons in January 2025, but they most certainly want to look back at the insurrectionist violence from January 2021. Roll Call reported:
A select subcommittee to continue a Republican-led reinvestigation of the events around Jan. 6, 2021, has officially been given the green light. Its been a long time coming for Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., who helmed a similar subpanel under the House Administration Committee last Congress and lobbied leadership for a new venue in the 119th. Roughly eight months after Loudermilk and Speaker Mike Johnson announced their intentions to form the subcommittee and after prolonged negotiations hes finally cleared to get to work.
The panel will have eight members, wholl be chosen by the House speaker, but the partisan split will not be even: The resolution said no more than three of the eight members will be appointed in consultation with the Democratic minority.......
In the months that followed, Loudermilk continued to engage in half-hearted efforts he even asked the Justice Department to launch a criminal investigation into former House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney for foolish reasons that collapsed under scrutiny
but by any fair measure, the entire endeavor was a failure.
Congressional Democrats barely bothered to push back against Loudermilks investigation for the most insulting of reasons:
They saw it as too boring and pitiful to warrant a full-throated response.
And now House Republican leaders have settled on a brilliant idea: Johnson wants the same congressman who failed in his previous Jan. 6 investigation to keep going with another Jan. 6 investigation in the current Congress all while telling the public that GOP lawmakers are looking forward and leaving Jan. 6 in the rearview mirror.
MAGA activists who are expecting blockbuster revelations should probably start lowering their expectations now.
The only thing that the last investigation purported to accomplish was to exonerate Loudermilk
After launching his own Jan. 6 probe, the Georgia Republicans first step was simple: He exonerated himself.
I would not expect much from this committee