Trump Calls for Jan. 6 Investigation — After Escaping Charges for It
And he appointed an ally who gave a Capitol tour on Jan. 5, 2021 to lead the investigation.
By Brian Daitzman
The man indicted for inciting the Capitol riot is now investigating those who tried to hold him accountable for it.
Donald Trump was federally indicted for inciting the Capitol riot. Now he’s using the presidency to investigate those who held him accountable.
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President Donald Trump, indicted in 2023 for inciting the January 6 Capitol riot, is now using the powers of the presidency to investigate the very event he was nearly prosecuted for. His tool of choice is a loyal ally: Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Georgia Republican whose own connection to January 6 has drawn scrutiny.
At Trump’s request, Loudermilk will lead a new House select subcommittee with broad authority to investigate the previous January 6 committee, as well as federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies involved in prosecuting rioters. This request was made directly by Trump during a June 2025 White House meeting, after months of delay from Republican leadership, CNN reported.
On January 5, 2021, Loudermilk led a tour through Capitol office buildings. The group included individuals who took photos of Capitol security checkpoints, tunnel entrances, and surveillance points—images later reviewed by the original January 6 Select Committee. Capitol tours were officially banned that day due to COVID-era restrictions, according to The Guardian.
Video footage shows that some participants in Loudermilk’s tour were later seen at the Capitol attack and one was recorded threatening members of Congress by name.
The President Is the Prosecutor
For the first time in U.S. history, a sitting president is using the powers of the executive branch to investigate an attack for which he was previously indicted. Donald Trump was charged in 2023 with attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 election. Now back in office, he is targeting those who investigated him.
The newly announced subcommittee will review the work of the bipartisan panel from the 117th Congress, whose findings led to multiple criminal referrals against Trump and others. That investigation culminated in a federal indictment—one that remained unresolved when Trump retook power in January 2025, as Politico noted.
Since then, the Trump administration has removed career prosecutors from the Justice Department, issued broad pardons to political allies, and launched internal reviews of Jan. 6-related prosecutions, Politico also reported.
“The White House was clear they wanted us to continue doing what we were doing,” Loudermilk told reporters.
Speaker Mike Johnson added, “There is clearly more work to be done,” as CNN quoted.
Sidebar: Loudermilk’s Capitol Tour
On January 5, 2021, Rep. Barry Loudermilk led a tour of Capitol office buildings, despite COVID protocols banning unofficial visits. According to video released by the original January 6 committee, participants photographed secure checkpoints and tunnel entrances, including areas not typical of public interest, The Guardian confirmed.
One man from the group later joined the January 6 march and was recorded threatening members of Congress by name. The footage contradicted Loudermilk’s initial denials and raised questions about whether the tour served a reconnaissance function. Capitol Police later stated they did not deem the activity “suspicious,” but the House committee maintained concern over the group’s behavior.
Has MAGA Declared War On America?
A couple of years ago, when there was still hope that America might not send a corrupt felon back to the White House, I wrote a book called, The Conspiracy To End America: Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Democracy to Autocracy. I wrote it because I was struck by the pattern of democratic collapse that had emerged within my old party.
Committee Composition and Political Response
The subcommittee, expected to begin formal work in September, will include five Republicans and three Democrats. Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan and Ranking Member Jamie Raskin will serve as ex-officio members. Speaker Mike Johnson, who initially hesitated to launch the probe, has since endorsed its expanded scope.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, who served on the original committee, issued a blistering response:
“By all means, let’s hold more hearings on the horrific violence incited by Trump … now that Republicans are returned and penitent sycophants appeasing their delusional and felonious J6 cult leader,” CNN reported.
Committee assignments will be finalized after the five-week recess. Democrats are expected to seat three members but have not confirmed names.
A Show Trial Awaits?
The decision to reopen the January 6 investigation has drawn sharp condemnation from Democrats, who argue that the effort is a political maneuver designed to rewrite history and discredit the prior investigation. They view it as a deliberate attempt to shift public focus — and institutional accountability — away from the events of January 6 and onto those who documented them.
As Raskin warned, the move may ultimately serve not to discover new facts, but to discredit those already established:
“Now that Republicans are returned and penitent sycophants appeasing their delusional and felonious J6 cult leader …”
As the subcommittee prepares to begin work this fall, critics warn that its true purpose is not to find new facts — but to retrofit power to erase old ones. The very idea that a president can investigate his own prosecution through a loyalist once implicated in the same scandal underscores what many see as a profound erosion of democratic accountability.
The man once investigated for attacking democracy is now in charge of redefining it.
📦 FACT BOX: Key Events & Roles
Jan. 5, 2021 — Rep. Barry Loudermilk leads a Capitol tour with individuals who photograph security checkpoints and basement access points.
Jan. 6, 2021 — Individuals from that tour later appear in the Capitol attack, with at least one making threats toward members of Congress.
2022 — The House January 6 Committee subpoenas Loudermilk over the tour; Capitol Police state the activity was “not suspicious.”
Aug. 1, 2023 — Donald Trump is federally indicted for conspiracy and obstruction related to the January 6 attack.
Nov. 25, 2024 — The indictment is dismissed after a Supreme Court ruling grants partial presidential immunity.
Jan. 2025 — Trump returns to office; the Justice Department begins leadership reshuffling and dismisses pending charges.
June 2025 — Trump meets with House GOP leaders and urges a new investigation into the original Jan. 6 probe.
July 2025 — Speaker Mike Johnson announces a new Jan. 6 subcommittee; Loudermilk is tapped to lead it.
Sept. 2025 — The subcommittee is expected to begin formal investigative hearings.
🧷 TIMELINE SNAPSHOT: Who’s Doing What
Donald Trump — President (2025–); previously indicted for Jan. 6, now pushing to investigate the investigators.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk — Chair of the new Jan. 6 subcommittee; led the Capitol tour on Jan. 5 and is now overseeing the probe.
Speaker Mike Johnson — Authorized the new subcommittee under pressure from Trump and the Freedom Caucus.
Rep. Jamie Raskin — Likely Democratic appointee; served on the original Jan. 6 Committee and opposes the new inquiry.
Rep. Jim Jordan — Chair of House Judiciary; will serve ex officio on the subcommittee and is aligned with Trump.
House Select Subcommittee (2025) — Eight members total (5 Republicans, 3 Democrats); tasked with re-investigating Jan. 6 and reviewing prior law enforcement conduct.
Brian Daitzman is the Editor of The Intellectualist. Read the original article here.
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You talk about a weaponization of the DOJ, I can only hope that someday Trump is held accountable and I'm alive to cheer when he's serving time in prison.
Since success is the best revenge, let's get rid of this criminal sociopath, psychopath, liar, promoter of violence, and seeker of revenge. Let's hoist him on his own petard. Trump whines like a victim and acts like a perpetrator. He deserves justice from the people, by the people, and for the people. Amen and Awomen. This investigation is his M.O. to follow the Epstein brouhaha to keep him in the news, and rent free in our heads. Time to pepper the airwaves and CNN and MSNBC with Harris and Walz not Trumpola. BRING THEM BACK! is my preferred mantra.