“Despite House GOP Hyped Release, Only a Fraction (0.4%) of Jan. 6 Videos Shared Online a Month Later”
One month after GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana announced the intention of House Republicans to publicly release nearly all 44,000 hours of Jan. 6 Capitol security footage, a CBS News review reveals that less than an estimated 0.4% of the videos have been uploaded. The daunting task of posting the footage lacks a firm completion deadline, as outlined in multiple interviews conducted by CBS News.
Despite House Republicans emphasizing the endeavor as a commitment to “truth and transparency,” the decision to release a comprehensive set of Jan. 6 security camera videos has sparked controversy. Some House Democrats criticize the initiative, alleging political motivations and ties to conspiracy theories. Concerns have also been raised about potential safety vulnerabilities for Capitol Police and the Capitol complex.
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CBS News discovered that the project faces unique logistical challenges due to the vast quantity of video and the complex security configurations of closed-circuit surveillance footage. As of the current week, only two major batches of video have been posted, both viewable but not downloadable, on a Rumble web page operated by House Republicans and the House Administration Committee’s government web page.
The uploaded videos consist of approximately 90 hours of hallway, overhead, and exterior camera footage, and a second wave includes 24-hour chunks from three main security cameras. However, this constitutes only a tiny fraction of the total 44,000 hours in the possession of the House.
The House Administration Committee, responsible for managing and uploading the footage, faces challenges in converting videos from proprietary CCTV format to a format suitable for uploading. A spokesman for GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, overseeing the subcommittee managing the footage, mentioned plans to upload new sets of video weekly.
