Over 40,000 hours of US Capitol riot video to be released

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Mike Johnson, the new Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, has announced a significant move toward transparency by making more than 40,000 hours of security video from the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol available to the public. Johnson, who has endorsed former president Donald Trump, stated that the extensive Capitol Hill security footage would be released in batches on a public website. This decision aims to provide truth and transparency, allowing millions of Americans, criminal defendants, public interest organizations, and the media to directly witness the events of that fateful day.

The release of the surveillance footage comes after a congressional committee investigated the attack on Congress by Trump supporters seeking to halt the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. The House of Representatives select committee had recommended charging Trump with insurrection and other offenses in connection with the Capitol riot.

Trump is scheduled to go on trial in Washington in March, facing charges of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The release of the security footage adds another layer of context to the events leading up to and during the Capitol attack. Over 1,200 people have been arrested in connection with the January 6 attack, and the public release of the surveillance footage is expected to play a crucial role in providing a firsthand account of the events.

Mike Johnson assured that the faces of private citizens would be blurred in the footage to prevent any risk of retaliation, and video segments containing sensitive Capitol building security information would be withheld. The decision to make the extensive security video public is seen as a commitment to accountability and ensuring that the American people have direct access to the information rather than relying solely on the interpretation of a select group of government officials.

The release of the surveillance footage is likely to fuel discussions around the events of January 6, 2021, and may have implications for the ongoing legal proceedings related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol.