Rep. Matt Gaetz on Wednesday called for Congress to reverse the work of the “illegitimate” Democratic House committee that looked into the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
The Fort Walton Beach Republican told the One America News Network that lawmakers could undo the partisan work of the committee that was handpicked by former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi through something called the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, or BLAG.
Under House rules, the BLAG is composed of the speaker and the top leaders of both parties. The panel “speaks for, and articulates the institutional position of, the House in all litigation matters.”
Read: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie Intro “Tax Free Tips Act Of 2024”
Gaetz argued this could apply to former Trump advisers Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, both of whom were sentenced to four months in prison for defying subpoenas issued by the J6 committee.
“The January 6 Committee was illegitimate for a variety of reasons,” Gaetz said. “But we have learned new things during Republican control of the House that I think compels us to remediate the constitutional infirmities that were borne upon the country by the January 6 Committee.”
Gaetz accused the committee of destroying evidence, particularly when it came to Bannon.
On the other hand, the Democrat-led committee also excluded evidence. That included a video that first aired last week of Pelosi saying that she took “responsibility for not having them just prepared for more.” That comment referred to the U.S. Capitol Police, which was under Pelosi’s control at the time, not being supported by the National Guard on Jan. 6.
Read: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz Says ‘DumpDEI’ After Grilling CalPERS CIO
Gaetz told OANN that Pelosi deserves a “tremendous amount of credit” for admitting that her office and her top leaders were not adequately prepared on Jan. 6.
But since the riot, the San Francisco Democrat deserves “a whole lot of blame” for what came after.
“They’ve tried to use January 6 as a cudgel against a political movement of tens of millions of people who have no desire to be violent or harmful in any way,” said Gaetz.
Gaetz said the BLAG could rectify things with an immediate vote to find that the J6 Committee destroyed evidence, was improperly constituted, and concealed the Pelosi video.
On X following the interview, Gaetz added, “I believe BLAG should immediately take a vote to remediate all of the J6 committee’s actions as unconstitutional and unlawful. That vote would give Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon a basis to petition the court to not have their prison sentences begin or continue.”
Help support the Tampa Free Press by making any small donation by clicking here.
Android Users, Click To Download The Tampa Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. Follow Us On Facebook and Twitter. Sign up for our free newsletter.