House GOP introduces ‘first come, first served’ access to Jan. 6 footage.
House Republicans Increase Access to Capitol Security Footage from Jan. 6 Attack
House Republicans have taken a significant step towards transparency and accountability by releasing a new policy regarding the security footage from the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. This policy allows qualified individuals to have “first come, first served” access to the footage.
Expanded Access for News Outlets, Defendants, and Victims
According to guidance provided by the House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, starting this month, representatives of U.S. news outlets, defendants charged with crimes related to Jan. 6 and their counsels, as well as individuals who were physically harmed during the siege and their counsels, will be granted the opportunity to view the Capitol security footage from Jan. 5 and 6, 2021.
All viewers will be required to leave their cellphones and cameras near the door and agree not to record the footage from the terminals.
Designated Time Slots for News Outlets
For news outlets, terminals to view the footage will be available on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 4 p.m. However, each outlet will only be allowed one three-hour time slot per week.
In addition to on-site viewing, news outlets may also request clips of the footage. The committee will evaluate these requests on a tiered scale:
- Category 1: Clips will be released if they have already been made public by the federal government, news media, or documentary filmmakers.
- Category 2: Clips will be released if they are from a camera previously identified as ‘non-sensitive’ by Capitol Police and do not show footage that raises security concerns.
- Category 3: Clips will generally not be released if they are from a camera identified as ‘sensitive’ by Capitol Police. However, exceptions may be made if the clips are also Category 1 or if the public interest outweighs the security sensitivity.
Defendants charged with Jan. 6 crimes will have the same opportunity to request footage under the same terms. They can make a request if they believe that prosecutors did not provide them with the requested footage, if they suspect there is exculpatory information in the footage, and if the purpose of the footage is for their defense or their client’s defense.
“House Republicans are continuing to deliver on our promise to bring transparency and accountability to the People’s House by increasing access to security footage of the U.S. Capitol from January 5th and 6th, 2021,” stated subcommittee Chairman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA). “This announcement stands in stark contrast to the previous Democrat leadership, who blocked access to the footage and only showed carefully edited clips to the public.”
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