House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday announced that Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, will serve as one of the Democrats on a newly formed Republican-led House subcommittee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Crockett immediately criticized the panel as partisan and said the effort posed a threat to accountability for those responsible for the violence.
Crockett, speaking at a news conference with other Democrats named to the panel, called the Jan. 6 attack an effort to "tear apart our democracy" and said the failure to convict former President Donald Trump in the Senate left the country vulnerable to further threats. "If those in power had done what they should have done, which was to go through with an impeachment conviction, none of us would be enduring what we are enduring now," she said.
Crockett accused House Republicans of trying to use the new subcommittee to create "distractions and division," and vowed Democrats would "expose the lies" and "hold accountable those that tried to overthrow the will of the people, including the president." The House impeached Trump after the riot; the Senate acquitted him, falling short of the two-thirds vote required to convict. Trump has denied responsibility for the violence and has issued pardons to some convicted rioters.
The announcement named Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., as the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee. Republicans selected Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., to chair the panel. Loudermilk, who led Republican investigations of the former House select committee that probed Jan. 6, said the new unit intends to "answer the remaining questions, uncover all the facts, and implement reforms so this level of security failure never happens again." He added that "it’s time to finish the job."
The subcommittee was formally created earlier this month amid continuing partisan dispute over how the Jan. 6 attack should be examined. Democrats on the panel, including Crockett and Swalwell, said the new inquiry seeks to deflect blame from Trump and absolve those who aided the events surrounding the riot. At the same time, Republicans have said their work will probe unanswered questions about security failures and perceived overreach by the prior select committee.
In addition to Crockett and Swalwell, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., was named to the panel, and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., was given an honorary role, according to the Democratic leadership. Jeffries announced the selections, a customary step by party leaders to place members on committees; final committee structure and rules are determined by the majority.
Lawmakers offered contrasting descriptions of the subcommittee’s purpose. Crockett said the panel must ensure the public knows "the truth about January 6th, and remember all those responsible for the defilement of the Capitol." Republicans framed the subcommittee as a continuation of oversight to examine security lapses and other unresolved matters from the events of 2021. How the panel’s work will proceed and whether its findings will bridge the partisan divide remain open questions as it begins its work under Republican leadership.