House Speaker Mike Johnson: Nearly all Jan. 6 Capitol Hill security videos will be publicly viewable online
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a Friday statement said nearly all Capitol Hill security videos recorded on Jan. 6, 2021, will be made available online to the public.
What are the details?
Johnson's statement said that all the videos will be available online except those that contain sensitive security information or information that could lead to retaliation against private citizens.
Johnson praised the House Administration Committee's decision to make the videos available and added that "today we will begin immediately posting video on a public website and move as quickly as possible to add to the website nearly all of the footage, nearly 40,000 hours," according to the statement provided to Blaze News investigative journalist Steve Baker.
The House speaker added that about 90 hours of video will be released today — Friday, Nov. 17 — and that "we anticipate the rest of the footage will be posted over the next several months in waves." Baker noted that the videos will be available for online viewing through the Committee on House Administration Subcommittee Reading Room.
"This decision will provide millions of Americans, criminal defendants, public interest organizations, and the media the ability to see for themselves what happened that day, rather than having to rely upon the interpretation of a small group of government officials," Johnson added.
Johnson also said all videos will be reviewed before they're released, private citizens' faces will be blurred to protect them from retaliation, and that "an estimated 5% of videos" that may include sensitive security information "related to building architecture" won't be made available for online viewing.
Also, by Monday, every video — even the ones not available online — will be available for in-person viewing at the subcommittee offices in the Capitol Complex in Washington, D.C., according to information Baker provided.
What's the background?
Prior to Johnson's announcement, Blaze News had been hard at work going through the videos and analyzing them in a limited capacity, as they had been available only for in-person viewing in Washington, D.C.
Baker's first analysis after countless hours in front of subcommittee office video terminals looking at frame after frame of Jan. 6 video had him wondering: did the security chief for then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi perjure himself in the Oath Keepers trial?
The Truth About January 6 youtu.be
Soon after, the slow pace of getting an unrestricted look at everything recorded on camera prompted Blaze Media editor in chief Matthew Peterson's appeal to Johnson late last month to release all the videos.
Johnson's Friday announcement also comes on the heels of a widely discussed rumor earlier this month that Blaze News was going to get all the videos.
Soon, U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) released video images from Jan. 6 showing the movements of the security chief covered in Baker's initial analysis. Loudermilk, chairman of the Committee on House Administration Subcommittee on Oversight, said in a statement to Baker that he released the still frames — from closed-circuit TV video with timestamps — of U.S. Capitol Police Special Agent David Lazarus because "an allegation of a Capitol Police officer lying under oath is very serious and must be fully investigated."
Baker's investigative efforts also resulted in two additional analyses, both focusing on U.S. Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn: "January 6 and the N-word that wasn't" and "Harry Dunn's account of January 6 does not add up. At all."
Capitol Officer Harry Dunn Exposed | The Truth About January 6 youtu.be
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Nashville Christian school shooter's writings 'now being reviewed for public release'
The writings of the person who perpetrated a shooting at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, last month are under review for public release, Metro Nashville Police Department's public information office noted, according to fox17.com
"The investigation has advanced to the point that writings from the Covenant shooter are now being reviewed for public release. That process is underway and will take a little time," the MNPD public information office noted, according to the outlet.
A 28-year-old shooter carried out the March 27 attack at the Covenant School, killing three children and three adults. The perpetrator was fatally shot by law enforcement.
"The Covenant shooting was a tragedy beyond comprehension, & Tennesseans need clarity," Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) tweeted. "We've been in touch with the Nashville Police Department, & today, Chief Drake assured me that documents & information regarding the shooter will be released to the public very soon."
\u201cThe Covenant shooting was a tragedy beyond comprehension, & Tennesseans need clarity. \n\nWe\u2019ve been in touch with the Nashville Police Department, & today, Chief Drake assured me that documents & information regarding the shooter will be released to the public very soon.\u201d— Gov. Bill Lee (@Gov. Bill Lee) 1682644542
MNPD reported in early April that the investigation indicated the shooter had "fired a total of 152 rounds (126 5.56 rifle rounds and 26 nine millimeter rounds) from the time she shot her way into the school until she was killed by police."
MNPD also noted in that early April press release that the shooter had "documented, in journals, her planning over a period of months to commit mass murder at The Covenant School" but that the individual's motive had not been determined.
"The writings remain under careful review by the MNPD and the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia," the release stated, noting that the motive was "under investigation by the Homicide Unit in consultation with the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit" and that it was known that the perpetrator had "considered the actions of other mass murderers."
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Pakistan Supreme Court orders release of man convicted in murder of Daniel Pearl
Pakistan's Supreme Court sparked international outrage Thursday by ordering the release of a man who was convicted in the gruesome 2002 murder of late Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl before being acquitted last year.
What are the details?
Ahmad Saeed Omar Sheikh has been on death row since his conviction for luring Pearl to his death at the hands of Al Qaeda, but was acquitted of his murder conviction in April 2020 along with three other individuals accused of lesser charges in connection to the killing, the Associated Press reported.
But all four men were tried together in the original case, and doubt cast regarding the guilt of other defendants caused two out of three judges to decide all should now be let free.
The Washington Post reported that the Pearl family's appeal to Sheikh's conviction being overturned was submitted quickly after last year's decision, "but that was ultimately dismissed Thursday by Pakistan's Supreme Court," too.
Judea Pearl, Daniel's father, tweeted Thursday:
When a killer is behind bars, responsibility is absorbed by one deranged individual. When a killer is freed, society as a whole assumes responsibility for the crime. Today, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has handed an indictment to an entire nation, institutionally, culturally, and morally, for one of the most horrific crime[s] of the century, which forever will stain the moral standing of that nation. We urge the US Department of Justice to vigorously pursue a request for extraditing Omar Schiek to stand a trial in the US, and we hope Pakistan responds positively to such request, to rectify the injustice brought about today by two of the three judges.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the Pakistan high court's decision "an affront to terror victims everywhere," saying that Washington is "committed to securing justice for Daniel Pearl's family," according to Reuters.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement saying that the "United States recognizes past Pakistani actions to hold Omar Sheikh accountable and notes that Sheikh currently remains detained under Pakistani law." Blinken added, "We are also prepared to prosecute Sheikh in the United States for his horrific crimes against an American citizen."
In an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal, Husain Haqqani declared that "acquitting Daniel Pearl's killer is part of Pakistan's dance with jihadism." Haggani wrote that Sheikh "is an unrepentant jihadist terrorist who lured Mr. Pearl on the pretext of an interview and handed him over to al Qaeda associates." He went on to not that "Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of 9/11, bragged about beheading the reporter during a hearing before a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay."
Wall Street Journal's editor said of the news, "This is an infuriating and unjust decision. We'll continue to support efforts to hold to account those responsible for the brutal murder of Danny."
President Trump cuts short '60 Minutes' interview with Lesley Stahl, threatens to release footage himself
President Donald Trump reportedly cut short a sit-down interview with CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl on Tuesday, arguing afterward on Twitter that the interview for the show "60 Minutes" was "fake" and "biased."
The president also threatened to release the footage himself before it is scheduled to air Sunday along with Norah O'Donnell's interviews with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (Calif.).
What are the details?
CBS News reported that the president "cut short" the interview, noting that Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller "disputed reporting that the interview had ended abruptly."
"Very fake news!" Miller tweeted in reaction to reporting from CNN. "No drama, interview was not ended abruptly and we have the receipts from the interview - all of them! Maybe we need to put the whole thing out so people can see for themselves? Lesley's a bad example for mask wearing, Kaitlan - don't follow her lead!!!"
Very fake news!No drama, interview was not ended abruptly and we have the receipts from the interview - all of th… https://t.co/c2nDr792f6— Jason Miller (@Jason Miller)1603230120.0
Politico reported that Trump was frustrated with the line of questioning and how the interview was being conducted, said one person familiar with the episode. After a short break, Vice President Mike Pence also spent 15 minutes with Stahl and the "60 Minutes" crew.
President Trump tweeted after the interview, "I am pleased to inform you that, for the sake of accuracy in reporting, I am considering posting my interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes, PRIOR TO AIRTIME! This will be done so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about..."
He added, "...Everyone should compare this terrible Electoral Intrusion with the recent interviews of Sleepy Joe Biden!"
...Everyone should compare this terrible Electoral Intrusion with the recent interviews of Sleepy Joe Biden!— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1603231782.0
The Daily Caller noted:
Trump and several members of the White House press office began tweeting anecdotes critical of Stahl shortly after the interview concluded. Trump criticized her for not wearing a mask after the interview, with White House Deputy Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt adding that Stahl had criticized her for not wearing a mask earlier that day.
Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes not wearing a mask in the White House after her interview with me. Much more to come. https://t.co/0plZG6a4fH— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1603224369.0
Tuesday's interview is Stahl's third with the president. She first sat down with him along with his family in 2016 when he was president-elect, and again in 2018.
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