The Capitol Police debunked a serious claim made by Democrats against House Republicans.
The day before the 2021 riot, according to Democrats, a group of Republican lawmakers visited the United States Capitol for “reconnaissance trips.” Republicans, on the other hand, deny that such tours occurred.
The House committee looking into January 6 has yet to produce any evidence supporting the extraordinary allegations.
Rep. Loudermilk (R-Ga.), one of the targets of the committee, has acknowledged to offering a tour to his constituents. However, last month, Rep. Loudermilk stated that the group never went into the actual Capitol but rather toured parts of the office complex instead.
In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the head of the U.S. Capitol Police wrote Monday that there is no evidence that Loudermilk conducted a “reconnaissance” tour.
On Jan. 5, Loudermilk was filmed by video surveillance in the Rayburn House Office Building, where he hosted a group of 12 people that grew to 15, according to Manger. The group also traveled through the basements underneath the Capitol complex, going beneath the Cannon House Office Building and Longworth House Office Building.
“There is no indication that Representative Loudermilk was with this group when they entered the United States Capitol on January 5, 2021,” Manger added. “We train our personnel to be on the lookout for individuals doing surveillance, and we do not associate any of the activities we saw with a potential threat.”
“The group never appeared in any tunnels that would have brought them to the U.S. Capitol,” he continued. “In addition, USCP officers were posted at all entrances to the tunnels leading to the United States Capitol on January 5, 2021, preventing unauthorized access.”
How did the committee respond?
The House committee on Jan. 6 rebutted Manger’s statement, releasing video footage of the group in the underground tunnels beneath the Capitol complex on Wednesday.
The video, on the other hand, does not show any person from the tour enter the U.S. Capitol. The committee, however, suggested that the group was guilty of wrongdoing in a letter submitted Wednesday because “people on the tour photographed areas of the complex that are not typically of interest to tourists.”
