The so-called "Twitter Files" are providing inspiration to the House Republican majority not just to take action against Big Tech but to release footage taken during the events of January 6th, 2021. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL-1) favors releasing the footage, explaining his stance in a recent CNN appearance tweeted by the Columbia Bugle, liked by Gaetz.
.@RepMattGaetz Responds To Claim That Releasing The 14k Hours Of 1/6 Footage Would Jeopardize Security
"I think that it's an argument made by the DOJ because they don't want to expose the extent to which there might have been federal assets or agents enhancing criminal acuity." pic.twitter.com/Jv1Fycyfyz
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) January 15, 2023
"@RepMattGaetz Responds To Claim That Releasing The 14k Hours Of 1/6 Footage Would Jeopardize Security "I think that it's an argument made by the DOJ because they don't want to expose the extent to which there might have been federal assets or agents enhancing criminal acuity," the Bugle tweets.
In the clip itself, the host describes how Gaetz is able to convince Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to agree to release the footage and what he expects to see in it. "I think that you will see a lot of exculpatory evidence," answers Gaetz.
He says the footage will likely show protestors "in technical violation of federal criminal law" though their intentions remain non-malicious. "But never intended to harm anyone, and never intended to breach any type of security barrier."
Though he acknowledges some of these barriers' possible removal, "I'm a believer that transparency answers a lot of questions." Namely, to what extent criminal acuity can be determined for specific individuals.
Moreover, Gaetz says that "we already know from whistleblower interviews we've done that there were federal assets and agents on the ground that day to be able to observe their conduct; their potential coordination with one another; would be of great interest to many of us on the Judiciary Committee and I think many people throughout the country."
The host refers to claims that releasing the footage will "jeopardize security" mentioned by the Bugle. Gaetz is quick to dismiss this claim. "Almost every inch of the Capitol is subject to video surveillance," he says. Gaetz compares the Capitol to the average casino, saying the angle of video cameras influences the perception of events. Moreover, he is quick to call the security claim "a red herring."
His reason is that "it's an argument made by the DOJ because they don't want to expose the extent to which there might have been federal assets or agents enhancing criminal acuity."
Essentially, Gaetz is suggesting federal agents may have enabled January 6th. "We don't know that, that's why we want to see the footage, but I think we'll all be safe and sound even following the release of that information," he concludes.
