Jan. 6 Committee Shares Video Of Rioter Who Threatened To Pull Pelosi’s Hair Out On Capitol Tour
The committee released a video of Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk giving a tour to a man, who later attended the Jan. 6 rally and recorded threats against politicians including AOC.
The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol released footage of Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) giving a tour to former President Donald Trump supporters, who recorded themselves making threatening remarks about various Democratic leaders during the attack, on January 5. In the footage of the tour, the rioters were seen taking photos of different stairways and entrances in the Capitol offices during the tour.
In the clip, the man can be heard making threats against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, New York Senator Chuck Schumer, New York Reps. Jerry Nadler, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. During the clip, he makes a disturbing threat to pull out Pelosi’s hair. “We are basically at the Capitol with probably close to 2 million true American patriots. They are swarming and converging,” he said. “There’s no escape Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler. We’re coming for you. We’re coming in like white on rice for Pelosi, Nadler, Schumer, [and] even you, AOC. We’re coming to take you out. Pull you out by your hairs. How about that, Pelosi? You might as well go and make yourself another appointment. [When] I get done with ya, you’re gonna need a shine on top of that bald head,” he said in the video.
After the footage was released, Ocasio-Cortez seemed unsurprised that she was named by the attacker, saying that the January 6 attack felt like the “culmination of violent rhetoric” while speaking to Spectrum News 1. “I think it’s been very clear for a very long time that I work with people who wish me harm, who wish me physical harm, who wish me political harm, who wish me harm, and it’s not just Representative Loudermilk. You have many members of Congress who have specifically used my name to incite violence, and this has been happening well before the 6th,” she said.
In light of the disturbing footage, Loudermilk has denied any wrongdoing in giving a tour the day before the attack. He denied giving tours in a June 14 statement but later admitted to giving one. He’s since called the video a “smear campaign” and said that no one in the group has been criminally charged in a series of tweets on Wednesday, June 14. He’s said that there was “nothing nefarious” and “nothing suspicious” during the January 5 tour in an interview on Fox News. He also said that the people taking photos were trying to take pictures of a trolley used to transport. Capitol Police also penned a letter saying that there was “no evidence” that Loudermilk gave a “reconnaissance tour” (per CNN), which Loudermilk cited.
Loudermilk has also claimed that the Select Committee has not tried to get in touch with him about information regarding the tour. “They never contacted me at all. If they wanted to know the truth, all they had to do is pick up the phone and call me,” he told Fox.
Despite Loudermilk’s claims that the committee hadn’t reached out to him, the committee released a public letter from committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) revealing that the committee did indeed send him a request asking to meet with him to discuss the tour on May 19. The committee renewed the letter on Wednesday. Loudermilk claimed that the letter was not sent to him directly.
With Loudermilk’s multiple statements, it’s raised suspicions about his regularly changing story. During The View, the co-hosts have asked for some clarity. “Which is it, Louder Face?” Joy Behar asked after listing his multiple stories. “He has refused to testify in front of the committee, but he’s testifying on Fox News, right? And, he’s morphing the truth over and over and over again, or the alleged truth,” Sunny Hostin said. “Shouldn’t we be concerned about the fact that he is relying on these different versions?”