On November 17, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans approved the release of video footage from the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. Some video footage has already been uploaded to the Committee on House Administration website, with more expected to be added over the weekend. It is estimated that around 44,000 hours of footage will be available online by Monday, with about 5 percent of the footage redacted for security reasons.
The decision to release the video footage is an attempt to satisfy members of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, who have been demanding that the footage be made public. Earlier in the week, Johnson successfully passed a bill to prevent a government shutdown.
“This decision will provide millions of Americans, criminal defendants, public interest organizations, and the media an ability to see for themselves what happened that day, rather than having to rely upon the interpretation of a small group of government officials,” said Johnson.
The move to release the footage was met with approval from members of the House Freedom Caucus, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, who publicly thanked Johnson on social media. Former president Donald Trump also commended Johnson for releasing the footage on his Truth social media platform.
In the released footage, the faces of private citizens will be blurred to protect their identities. It is worth noting that over 1,100 individuals have been charged in connection with the breach at the U.S. Capitol, with more than 400 of them facing charges of assaulting or impeding law enforcement.
