Truth-checking the Home GOP’s new Jan. 6 committee : NPR

A brand new Republican-led congressional subcommittee to analyze the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol held its first public listening to this week. GOP lawmakers used the chance to criticize the Biden administration and, at occasions, promote conspiracy theories in regards to the riot. An NPR truth examine has recognized a number of false and deceptive claims from the listening to, which coincides with a broader effort by the Trump administration to rewrite the historical past of the assault.

The listening to unfolded in opposition to the backdrop of Trump’s mass pardons for the Jan. 6 defendants virtually one 12 months in the past. Stewart Rhodes, the previous chief of the Oath Keepers who was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his position within the assault and sentenced to 18 years in jail, appeared on the entrance of the viewers. Rhodes is one in every of a small group of former defendants who didn’t obtain a full pardon from Trump, and as an alternative acquired a commutation. In consequence, Rhodes was launched from jail however his seditious conspiracy conviction stays on his document.

The official matter for Wednesday’s listening to was “Analyzing the Investigation into the DNC and RNC Pipe Bombs.” On Jan. 6, simply as rioters started breaching the outer perimeter of the Capitol, two bombs have been found exterior the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic nationwide committees, diverting legislation enforcement sources at a crucial second.

Through the Biden administration, the investigation into who planted the bombs stalled, and the dearth of an arrest fueled conspiracy theories. Dan Bongino, the conservative podcaster who would later turn out to be deputy director of the FBI, stated on his present in November 2024 that he was sure the bombs have been positioned by “both a related anti-Trump insider or this was an inside job.”

A 12 months later, Bongino informed a really completely different story.

Whereas serving as a high FBI official, he appeared at a press convention asserting fees in opposition to Brian Cole Jr., a 30-year-old man from Virginia accused of planting the bombs. Cole, who has pleaded not responsible, twice voted for Trump, in line with his lawyer. Federal prosecutors allege that Cole confessed and stated he believed votes had been “tampered” with within the 2020 election.

Bongino addressed his shifting stance on the pipe bomber case on Fox Information in December 2025. “I used to be paid up to now for my opinions,” Bongino stated, “however that is not what I am paid for now. I am paid to be your deputy director.” Bongino left the FBI at the start of January 2026 and is about to return to podcasting.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., who chairs the subcommittee, has made the pipe bomb case a central focus of his inquiry. He repeatedly criticized the FBI for failing to crack the case for practically 5 years and stated inner paperwork “paint a dismal image” of the investigation through the Biden administration.

In one of many few moments of bipartisan settlement, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., praised the FBI below Director Kash Patel for making an arrest, calling it “a uncommon vibrant spot for federal legislation enforcement during the last 12 months.”

However with the pipe bombing case now transferring via the courts — fairly than the political area — lawmakers typically veered into claims that didn’t match the information.

The declare: 

“The Biden FBI did have undercover brokers and confidential informants embedded throughout the rally crowds,” stated Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La. “And the Biden FBI did conspire to entrap MAGA Individuals previous to J6 after which efficiently entrapped a number of hundred Individuals on J6.”

The information: 

Joe Biden was not president on Jan. 6 — Donald Trump was.

On the time of the assault, the FBI was led by Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee.

Joe Biden took workplace on Jan. 20, 2021, two weeks after the riot, and Wray remained FBI director in the course of his presidency.

A Division of Justice inspector basic report examined the presence of confidential FBI sources within the crowds on Jan. 6 and located that “none of those FBI [Confidential Human Sources] was licensed by the FBI to enter the Capitol or a restricted space or to in any other case break the legislation on January 6, nor was any CHS directed by the FBI to encourage others to commit unlawful acts on January 6.” The report additionally discovered no proof “displaying or suggesting that the FBI had undercover workers within the numerous protest crowds, or on the Capitol, on January 6.”

Higgins’ workplace didn’t reply to a request for remark.

The declare:

Raskin stated Trump did not act decisively to cease the riot and “did nothing to ship out the Nationwide Guard below his unilateral direct management within the District of Columbia.”

In response, Loudermilk countered that Trump “can not simply ship the Nationwide Guard except the Nationwide Guard is requested by the legislative department.”

Referring to former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, Loudermilk stated, “There have been a number of requests made by the previous chief of police for Nationwide Guard earlier than the request to name them was given. And that was solely after pictures have been fired within the Capitol. That request was made to the Division of Protection within the one o’clock hour on Jan. 6.”

The information:

The president has direct management of the D.C. Nationwide Guard, and the Capitol Police requested help from the guard previous to the breach of the constructing. Nonetheless, troops didn’t arrive till hours later.

Loudermilk seems to have jumbled the timeline of the Nationwide Guard’s response, which is specified by stories from each the Capitol Police and Division of Protection Workplace of Inspector Common.

• At 1:09 p.m. and once more at 1:22 p.m., former Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund requested the Home and Senate sergeants at arms to declare an emergency and formally request assist from the Nationwide Guard. By that time, rioters had breached the outer perimeter of the Capitol grounds and have been assaulting police, however had not but damaged into the constructing. 

• At 1:49 p.m., Sund referred to as the commanding basic of the D.C. Nationwide Guard on to request the help of guard troops on the Capitol. 

• At 2:10 p.m., Sund relayed that he acquired formal authorization from the Capitol Police Board.

• At 2:13 p.m., rioters broke a Capitol window and commenced flooding into the constructing.
• At 2:44 p.m., Capitol Police Officer Michael Byrd fired a single shot, placing rioter Ashli Babbitt as she tried to breach a door to the Speaker’s Foyer, the place members of Congress have been attempting to evacuate. Babbitt subsequently died. Nationwide Guard troops didn’t arrive on the Capitol till 5:55 p.m.

In an electronic mail to NPR, Loudermilk’s Deputy Chief of Employees Brandon Cockerham stated that the congressman’s reference to a request made “solely after pictures have been fired” was an allusion to a later second within the timeline, when appearing Protection Secretary Christopher Miller licensed the mobilization of the Nationwide Guard.

“I imagine the Chairman meant to make use of the phrase ‘authorization’ as an alternative of ‘request’ as he was alluding to the licensed mobilization of the D.C. Nationwide Guard which got here at roughly 3:04 PM,” Cockerham wrote.

The declare:

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, criticized law enforcement officials who testified earlier than the earlier Jan. 6 choose committee, which was led by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

“They got down to have a extremely pre-scripted listening to, designated to play on the feelings of Individuals,” stated Nehls. “For instance, the listening to with Capitol Law enforcement officials Dunn, Gonell, Fanone, Hodges — 4 Trump haters who gave extremely scripted and pre-planned testimonies.”

The information:

Nehls was referring to testimony by Harry Dunn and Aquilino Gonell, who served with the Capitol Police, and Michael Fanone and Daniel Hodges, who served with D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Division.

All 4 officers have publicly criticized Trump, largely due to the accidents and trauma they suffered defending the Capitol on Jan. 6.

However their politics aren’t so simple as Nehls urged.

Fanone, who was dragged into the gang and repeatedly overwhelmed and shocked within the neck by a rioter with a Taser-style machine, voted for Trump in 2016.

“I used to be searching for a candidate that supported legislation enforcement,” Fanone informed NPR in an interview final 12 months. “I remorse the choice. It was clearly the improper choice in hindsight.”

Fanone suffered a traumatic mind harm and a minor coronary heart assault because of the assaults on Jan. 6.

Nehls’ workplace didn’t reply to NPR’s request for remark.