According to Rep. Matt Gaetz, the security tapes of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol will be made available to the public in a matter of days.
He said, “The way that the Jan. 6 tapes will be released will be through a website where any member of the public can go and observe the videos that are being released,” Mr. Gaetz, Florida Republican, said on the SiriusXM show “The Wilkow Majority.”
The release of the footage is something Mr. Gaetz has been advocating for. He made it a condition when he first stepped aside to allow former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, to win his short-lived speakership in January.
On Jan. 6, 2021, supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol, and over 40,000 hours of video are archived from that day.
The Justice Department has been pursuing those involved in the Capitol riot and has charged almost 1,200 individuals with federal crimes related to their participation in the riot.
Over 800 individuals have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial, and about 700 people involved in the riot have been sentenced. Approximately two-thirds of them have received prison terms ranging from three days to 22 years.
Since Mr. McCarthy announced in January that he decided to release the footage, defendants in Jan. 6 cases, their attorneys, media, and nonprofit groups have had limited access through congressional closed-circuit TV terminals.
It is still unclear where the public will be able to view the footage, which has already been vetted for release by the U.S. Capitol Police.
