Johnson names Republican members to GOP-led Jan. 6 committee

Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Georgia, listens to a speaker at a press conference, May 4, 2021, in Marietta, Ga. (AP Photo/Ron Harris, File)

House Speaker Mike Johnson has appointed five Republicans to serve on the new GOP-led select subcommittee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, who led the investigation last Congress, will continue to head the probe. It will be a subcommittee on the House Judiciary Committee.

Republican Reps. Morgan Griffith of Virginia, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, Troy Nehls of Texas and Harriet Hageman of Wyoming were also named to the panel, according to an announcement made by the House clerk on Thursday.

The Republicans will join Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell of California, Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Jared Moskowitz of Florida, who were appointed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Swalwell will serve as the top Democrat on the panel.

Democrats have fiercely opposed Johnson’s creation of the new subcommittee, which Republicans say will be focused on the security breach of the Capitol, including intelligence failures at the top levels.

At a press conference earlier this week announcing his picks, Jeffries warned that “Republicans will regret that they’ve decided to go down this road.” Still, he cast the move as an effort to avoid allowing the committee to “whitewash” the violence from that day.

President Donald Trump urged House Republicans to launch the investigation –seeking to have his party leaders relitigate the January 6 matter under Loudermilk –and personally pushed for the new committee after negotiations to set it up appeared to have stalled.