Rep. Barry Loudermilk, who led a tour of the Capitol complex on the eve of the riot and faced questions for it earlier this year, may soon chair the committee in charge of Hill security.
The House Republican who led a tour of the Capitol complex on Jan. 5, 2021, that further fueled Democratic worries of pre-riot “reconnaissance” could end up leading the GOP’s investigation of the Jan. 6 select committee.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk found himself in the select panel’s crosshairs over his Jan. 5 tour, where participants took photos of stairwells and other elements of the Capitol complex not typically of interest to visitors. The Georgia Republican denied any connection between the tour and the following day’s riot — and he may get a chance to offer his side of the story with a gavel in hand if Republicans take back the House next year, as expected.
Loudermilk told POLITICO that he is interested in chairing the House Administration Committee in a future GOP majority, using it to dig into the Jan. 6 panel and Capitol security. That chairmanship is wide open and Loudermilk is the most senior Republican on the committee after Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, who lost his primary last month.
In a brief interview, Loudermilk dinged the select committee as giving Capitol security a short shrift in service of “some narrative of pushing blame somewhere.” He added that members of the administration committee, which has jurisdiction over the Capitol complex, “also need to look at things like the false allegations they’ve made against people … because when you make false allegations, that’s in violation of the House rules.”
Many Republicans are eager to use a potential 2023 majority to turn the tables on the Jan. 6 panel, which has lacked Donald Trump-approved voices on the dais during its high-profile probe since GOP leadership boycotted it last year after Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected some of their picks. Loudermilk is hoping to take up the mantle now that Davis’ ambitions were cut short — and the personal animus he may bring to investigating the select committee promises to create new political challenges for its members.
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Rep. Barry Loudermilk, who led a Capitol tour on the eve of the riot, may soon chair the House Administration Committee in a future GOP majority, using it to dig into the Jan. 6 panel and Capitol security https://t.co/7tRogNkTp2
— POLITICO (@politico) July 21, 2022
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