Jan. 6 Committee seeks meeting with House GOP lawmaker about tour before attack

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Jan. 6 Committee seeks meeting with House GOP lawmaker about tour before attack

The congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot asked for a meeting with a House GOP lawmaker about a Capitol tour that took place a day before the attack.

Chairman of the Committee Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. Rep. Barry Loudermilk asked the Democratic-controlled panel to discuss events that took place shortly before the riot.

Thompson and Cheney wrote to Loudermilk on Thursday, and they believe you have information regarding a tour you led through parts of the Capitol complex on January 5, 2021.

The two panel leaders said they had evidence that directly contradicts the claims made by GOP members of the House Administration Committee that security footage showed no tours had taken place ahead of the attack.

The public reporting and witness accounts indicate that some individuals and groups are engaged in efforts to gather information about the layout of the U.S. Capitol, as well as the House and Senate office buildings, in advance of January 6, 2021, they wrote to Loudermilk, who is a member of the House Administration Committee.

The committee is going to hold a meeting with the Georgia Republican next week.

Several Democratic lawmakers have drawn attention to tours that took place in the lead-up to January 6.

Days after last year's deadly riot, Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N. J., alleged that some of her House colleagues had guided groups through the Capitol on a reconnaissance tour of the complex on January 5.

The request to meet with Loudermilk comes a week after the panel announced subpoenas for five GOP lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California. There has been no indication that they will meet with the committee.