Select Committee Issues Sweeping Demand for Executive Branch Records

Bolton, MS—Today, Chairman Bennie G. Thompson announced the Select Committee’s first round of demands for records as the committee expands its investigation into the January 6th violent attack on the U.S. Capitol and its causes. In letters to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and seven other Executive Branch agencies, Chairman Thompson renewed and expanded upon the requests of other committees from earlier this year. Chairman Thompson gave the agencies a two-week deadline to produce materials.

This expansion of the Select Committee’s probe follows the July 27 hearing at which four police officers testified about their experiences on January 6th defending the U.S. Capitol in the face of a violent mob aiming to derail the peaceful transfer of power. The officers’ call to action underscored the importance of the Select Committee’s mandate to uncover the facts about January 6th and its causes and to help ensure such an attack on American democracy cannot happen again.

The letter to NARA demands a wide range of White House records of the previous administration and encourages Archivist of the United States David Ferriero to use his authority under the Code of Federal Regulations to expedite the Select Committee’s request.

“The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is examining the facts, circumstances, and causes of the January 6th attack. Our Constitution provides for a peaceful transfer of power, and this investigation seeks to evaluate threats to that process, identify lessons learned and recommend laws, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations necessary to protect our republic in the future,” wrote Chairman Thompson.

Letters to seven other agencies seek records dealing with a range of matters relevant to the January 6th attack and the runup to that day’s violence, including the gathering and dissemination of intelligence in advance of the attack; security preparations around the U.S. Capitol; the role agencies played in the defense of the Capitol on January 6th, the planning and organization of events in Washington, DC, on January 5th and 6th; and how the January 6th events fit in the continuum of efforts to subvert the rule of law, overturn the results of the November 3, 2020 election, or otherwise impede the peaceful transfer of power.

The following agencies received record demands from the Select Committee:

• National Archives and Records Administration
• Department of Defense
• Department of Homeland Security
• Department of the Interior
• Department of Justice
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• National Counterterrorism Center
• Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Click here to view a one-page summary of the demands for records.

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