House Speaker Mike Johnson has committed to officially forming a new committee to examine the events of January 6, 2021, when the U.S. Capitol was attacked. This committee, headed by Republican Representative Barry Loudermilk from Georgia, is a component of a larger initiative by Republicans to persist in and broaden the investigations that were initiated in the last Congress. With their control over both chambers of Congress and the presidency, Republicans are seizing the chance to advance their agenda and continue longstanding political investigations.

Loudermilk disclosed that the specifics of this new committee are still under development, but it is anticipated to be a select committee. This classification implies that the committee will possess greater flexibility regarding its structure and membership, with Speaker Johnson exerting considerable influence over the selection of its members. Loudermilk’s involvement in the January 6th investigation has garnered significant attention from Republicans, who contend that the attack stemmed from multiple failures across different levels of government, rather than being attributed solely to the actions of former President Donald Trump.

Simultaneously, certain Democrats have voiced apprehensions regarding the trajectory of the current investigations. Senator Adam Schiff, a former prominent member of the January 6th select committee, has indicated that he may decline any possible pardon extended by President Biden to individuals implicated in the Congressional inquiry. Schiff, who has consistently condemned the practice of pardons, articulated that accepting such a pardon could be interpreted as an acknowledgment of guilt. Should this interpretation hold, it might complicate the legal standing of those individuals if they were summoned to provide testimony under oath.

Legal professionals have observed that pardons do not exempt individuals from the obligation to testify under oath when subpoenaed. This situation may have considerable consequences for figures such as Cheney and Dr. Anthony Fauci, both of whom received pardons from Biden. Although these pardons offer protection against criminal charges, they do not grant immunity from legal actions, which may encompass congressional testimony. Indeed, certain experts interpret these pardons as a mechanism to guarantee that individuals remain obligated to testify if summoned.