On Wednesday, the House panel revealed new footage of a man outside the Capitol making violent threats against the Democrat lawmakers.
The man is seen threatening Democrats speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. On the day before the riot, the footage shows Loudermilk giving a small group a tour, with individuals taking photos of the Capitol staircase, tunnels and security checkpoints, which are frequently used by lawmakers and staff members. There is no identification of the man and no evidence supporting the fact that the man was part of the small tour group. He is seen saying, “There is no escape Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler — we’re coming for you. We’re coming in like white on rice, for Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler, even you AOC. We’re coming to take you out, and pull you out by your hairs. How about that Pelosi. Might as well make yourself another appointment. When I get done with you, you’re gonna need a shine up on top of that bald head”
In the video he said that he’s “with Barry Loudermilk of Georgia”. Loudermilk denied giving any tour on Jan 5th and when more evidence came out, he denied any wrongdoing. The House panel never contacted him about the tour and that he only learned about their requesting information from the media. A Trump ally, Loudermilk said, “They’re only interested in creating a narrative for you guys. There’s nothing there.” (article continued after video)
There was another video footage showing a man from Loudermilk’s tour walking to Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally with a companion on the White House Ellipse before the riot. The companion, pretending to charge in with a flag pole, is seen saying, “It’s for a certain person.”
To that the man who is filming replies, “Somebody special! Somebody special!”.
Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said in a letter on Tuesday that the group was not suspicious of any wrong activity and they never entered the Capitol building itself, however, footage showed individuals capturing photographs of the underground tunnel systems that were utilized for evacuation purposes during the Jan 6 riot.
Loudermilk accused the House panel, who is raising concerns about the tour, a “smear campaign” and also said, “As Capitol Police confirmed, nothing about this visit with constituents was suspicious. The pictures show children holding bags from the House gift shop, which was open to visitors, and taking pictures of the Rayburn train,” he continued. “This false narrative that the Committee and Democrats continue to push, that Republicans, including myself, led reconnaissance tours is verifiably false. Nowhere that I went with the visitors in the House Office Buildings on January 5th were breached on January 6th; and, to my knowledge, no one in that group was criminally charged in relation to January 6th.”
In his interview, Loudermilk said that he was hosting his family and guests from Georgia that day because restaurants in DC were closed due to the riot. As for the staircase photograph, Loudermilk said that the man was interested in a golden eagle sconce on the wall. He also said that he didn’t personally know the man who was making such violent threats against the Democratic lawmakers and condemned the violent rhetoric. He said, “Look, I’m somebody who has suffered from violence of somebody deranged by political rhetoric. Five years ago yesterday was when somebody walked on the baseball field and tried to kill me and several of my colleagues.” This statement is specifically regarding the 2107 congressional baseball shooting where he and several other Republicans were targeted.
He also added, “No, I’m totally opposed and I condemn that kind of language. But no one in that group showed that type of aggression that day.”
The video footage shows the tour of three office House buildings- a part of the Capitol complex but not inside the building itself. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss, again repeated his request for information to Loudermilk about the 10-person group that toured those three buildings. Thompson said, “Based on our review of surveillance video, social media activity, and witness accounts, we understand you led a tour group through parts of the Capitol complex on January 5, 2021. That group stayed for several hours, despite the complex being closed to the public on that day.” He also added, “Individuals on the tour photographed and recorded areas of the complex not typically of interest to tourists, including hallways, staircases, and security checkpoints.”
Currently, two public hearings have taken place for the Jan 6 riot. The third hearing will take place on Thursday, and which will focus on Trump’s pressure on Vice President Mike Pence to stop certifying Biden’s victory.