Speaker Johnson Announces Release of Over 40,000 Hours of January 6 Footage

On Friday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced that he will make over 40,000 hours of the Capitol Police’s January 6 footage public.

The Details: Johnson made the first 90 hours of footage available on the Committee on House Administration’s website. He said to prevent people from being “retaliated” against, the faces of private citizens will be blurred on future tape releases. He also said 5% of the footage will remain private because it “may involve sensitive security information related to the building architecture.”

For Context: Johnson previously promised to some conservatives that he would release the January 6 footage if elected Speaker, namely Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who spearheaded the recent ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).

Key Quotes: Johnson said, “This decision will provide millions of Americans, criminal defendants, public interest organizations, and the media an ability to see for themselves what happened that day, rather than having to rely upon the interpretation of a small group of government officials.” Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) called the release “unconscionable,” and said, “While the name on the door to the Speaker's suite has changed, the office's mission to undermine the Capitol Police and politicize Capitol security continues unabated.”

How The Media Covered It: Dissimilar to coverage by Axios (Lean Left bias) and National Review (Lean Right bias), NewsNation (Center bias) framed the context of January 6, which it called a “riot,” before unpacking the news of Johnson’s announcement. National Review included a statement from a Republican representative, while Axios included one from a Democratic one.