Georgia Republican Representative Barry Loudermilk has received confirmation that his long-anticipated investigation into the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack will be formally launched as a newly established committee in the next session of Congress. The announcement was symbolically marked with a photo alongside House Speaker Mike Johnson, signaling a renewed GOP effort to reshape the narrative surrounding that historic and violent day.
This move marks a significant step in the Republican Party’s ongoing campaign to reinterpret the events of January 6, and it underscores their broader investigatory strategy now that they hold control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. The planned committee, still in its formative stages, is expected to differ structurally from the prior House select committee. Loudermilk told CNN that one idea under consideration would allow Speaker Johnson greater control over the appointment of committee members and the direction of its investigative focus.
Central to this effort is the Republican aim to deflect responsibility for the Capitol riot away from then-President Donald Trump. The formation of the new committee is, in part, meant to elevate Loudermilk’s prior work, including a report that controversially recommended the FBI consider charges against former GOP Representative Liz Cheney, who served as vice chair of the original bipartisan January 6 panel.
Loudermilk has consistently criticized the original committee, which he claimed was narrowly focused on blaming Trump. “It was so singularly focused that basically Trump created this entire problem,” he said. “When, in fact, there were numerous failures at various levels.” Still, Loudermilk acknowledged that using “January 6” in the committee’s title could be problematic, as it remains an emotionally charged term. “It’s somewhat of a trigger for people, in one way,” he told CNN. “In another, it is even more restrictive because there are other security concerns besides January 6.”
Despite the controversy, Speaker Johnson has committed publicly to fully funding the new investigation. Republicans plan to use their majority to scrutinize not only the events of January 6 but also the prior select committee’s actions and decisions. That includes Cheney’s role, along with broader security lapses on Capitol Hill.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are reviving a number of other investigative initiatives from previous Congresses—many of which had stalled in legal disputes. According to CNN, they recently reissued subpoenas involving two Department of Justice tax investigators who were involved in the Hunter Biden probe, as well as Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents. These subpoenas aim to reopen battles that have remained unresolved in court for months.
The reissued subpoenas are now directed at a Justice Department expected to be more cooperative under the Trump administration, increasing the likelihood that Republicans will gain access to previously withheld information. One high-profile subpoena targets audio recordings of conversations between President Biden and his ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, relating to classified materials used in a post-vice-presidency memoir. The recordings, obtained by Hur during his probe, are also being sought by conservative groups like the Heritage Foundation and media outlets including CNN. The Justice Department, however, has repeatedly argued that such recordings should remain confidential.
The subpoenas involving DOJ tax investigators Jack Morgan and Mark Daly are part of an ongoing dispute. Originally issued by the House Judiciary Committee, the subpoenas led to a legal standoff when the DOJ blocked the men from testifying. That case is still pending before Judge Ana Reyes in the DC District Court.
Both Morgan’s and Daly’s attorneys declined to comment on the matter.
Even before taking power, House Republicans signaled their intent to investigate how Special Counsel David Weiss handled Hunter Biden’s tax and firearms cases, as well as to challenge Special Counsel Jack Smith’s criminal investigations into Trump. While their earlier efforts to target the prosecutors were largely unsuccessful due to the active nature of those investigations, the political landscape has now shifted in their favor.
With a new majority and a leadership eager to revisit past controversies, Republicans are wasting no time using their power to refocus national attention on politically charged investigations. Whether these inquiries yield substantive results or remain largely symbolic will depend on the evidence they uncover—and the public’s appetite for reliving some of the most divisive moments in recent political history.