A House committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach has revealed that files were deleted and encrypted by the panel appointed by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, as reported by Fox News. The House Administration Committee’s oversight subcommittee, led by Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk, found that 117 files were deleted on January 1, 2023, just before the deadline for Pelosi’s panel to share information with the new GOP-controlled panel. The deleted and encrypted files were later recovered by a digital forensics team hired to examine the hard drives.
Rep. Loudermilk accused Pelosi’s Select Committee of taking extensive measures to prevent certain documents from being seen by the public. He also suggested that Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney failed to preserve critical information and videos, obstructing the subcommittee’s work as required by House rules. Rep. Thompson and then-Rep. Cheney were the chairman and vice chairwoman of the Jan. 6 committee.
Rep. Loudermilk, empowered by Speaker Mike Johnson, has written to Rep. Thompson demanding access to the files. In the letter, Loudermilk highlighted Thompson’s acknowledgment that the Select Committee did not archive all records as required by House Rules. Questions surround the recovered files, including one revealing the identity of an individual whose testimony was not archived. Most recovered files are password-protected, hindering the determination of their contents.
The congressman requested a list of passwords for all password-protected files created by the Select Committee to ensure proper archiving. Loudermilk’s investigation, with full support from Speaker Johnson, is entering a new phase. He seeks full unredacted transcripts of interviews with White House and Department of Homeland Security staff conducted by Pelosi’s panel. Loudermilk previously noted the disappearance of other files, including all videotapes of depositions, raising concerns about the accuracy of remaining transcripts, especially considering witness revisions after their original testimony.
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