The full records of the closed-door testimonies and other information gathered by the January 6 Committee could remain hidden for decades, thanks to the its secretive nature and to laws protecting committee records.
The committee, which was entirely one-sided against former President Donald Trump after Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) took the unprecedented step of blocking minority party nominees, followed the equally problematic practice of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) in conducting his impeachment investigation into Trump in a restricted room of the House Intelligence Committee, thereby controlling the flow of information.
Witnesses, such as Breitbart News’ own Ken Klukowski, a former Trump administration attorney, complained that the committee was intentionally distorting their testimony, and demanded the full record be made public.
But that is unlikely, as the Los Angeles Times notes, because of several laws the committee can hide behind:
The final report by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection will provide the most comprehensive account yet of what led to the worst attack on the Capitol in more than 200 years. But it’s not likely to include all of the evidence the panel collected in its 18-month investigation.
Congress is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, and House rules, which lawmakers approve with each new Congress, set an at minimum two-decade timeline before the public can see records that are preserved.
That means that potentially millions of pages of depositions, cellphone and text records, emails, staff notes and analysis by outside organizations compiled as part of the committee’s investigation that don’t make it into the official final report or aren’t released before the end of the year won’t become public for decades — if they ever do at all.
The committee issued subpoenas despite not having the number of required members of the opposition, or a recognized “ranking member” of the minority party, as indicated by its enabling resolution. Nevertheless, it used the threat of prosecution for contempt of Congress to pressure potential witnesses — who were made to appear behind closed doors and without another side of the argument present to argue an alternative view.
Notably, Speaker Pelosi herself was not called as a witness, nor was any other official who might have shed light on the weakness of Capitol security on January 6. Several members of the panel themselves had disputed the legitimacy of previous elections or challenged the certification of Electoral College votes — the very activity that the committee sought to portray in its public presentations as an act of insurrection against the country.
The report of the committee is expected to be released this week but could be taken offline in the new Congress — just as President Joe Biden took the 1776 Commission Report offline within hours of taking office in 2021.
If they do they are just hiding their own findings based on lies and hate. The entire proceedings should be shredded and burned. Those involved should also be forced to pay back the US Treasury all the money they blew or were paid while members of the illegal committee.