House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., drew criticism after telling reporters on Tuesday that Republicans are blurring faces in security footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack to protect the rioters. “We have to blur some of the faces of persons who participated in the events of that day because we don’t want them to be retaliated against and to be charged by the DOJ,” said Johnson, who played a key role in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss. Numerous MAGA Republicans who falsely alleged that the attack was instigated by federal agents or was largely executed by violent leftists have long called for the release of the footage, which they claim will back up their baseless conspiracy theories.
Former Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., accused Johnson of “aiding & abetting criminal activity.” Former Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann called “fully committed Trump enabler” Mike Johnson’s comments “open contempt for the rule of law and a violation of oath of office.” Despite Johnson’s comments, the FBI and DOJ have long had access to the video footage, though blurring people’s faces could prevent civilians from reporting tips to the FBI. “What a joke for the party of ‘law and order,’” tweeted national security attorney Bradley Moss. Raj Shah, a spokesman for Johnson, said in a statement that "faces are to be blurred from public viewing room footage to prevent all forms of retaliation against private citizens from any non-governmental actors. The Department of Justice already has access to raw footage from January 6, 2021.”
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