US Lawmakers To Meet With January 6 Defendants At Washington Jail - Greene

A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the US House Oversight Committee will visit a jail in Washington to meet with defendants charged in connection with the events at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 amid concerns about their harsh treatment in detention, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said on Friday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th March, 2023) A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the US House Oversight Committee will visit a jail in Washington to meet with defendants charged in connection with the events at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 amid concerns about their harsh treatment in detention, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene said on Friday.

"Flashback to 2021 when we were trying to go in the DC Jail to check on Pretrial J6 Defendants due process rights and make sure they weren't being treated like political prisoners," Greene said via Twitter, sharing a video of the 2021 visit. "Today, we are going back in the DC Jail and two years later the only thing that's changed is we don't wear these stupid (COVID-19) masks anymore."

Greene told US media that Republican members of the delegation, including Congressmen Andy Biggs, Scott Perry and Lauren Boebert will be joined by two Democratic members - Summer Lee and Jasmine Crockett.

Crockett, a former civil rights lawyer, said earlier on Friday that she is joining the delegation to ensure the truth is told and not a "revisionist alternative reality." It is important not to conflate the treatment of the January 6 defendants, whom the lawmaker referred to as "insurrectionists," with the jail conditions endured by "mostly black and brown folk" for decades, Crockett said.

Earlier this month, Greene and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer sent a letter to Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser requesting information about the district's jail, as well as a visit with defendants and jail personnel.

The lawmakers expressed concerns about reports of inhumane treatment of defendants in the jail, including abuse, neglect and beatings.

"The Committee is concerned by reports that January 6 detainees are facing a unique form of mistreatment due to their politics and beliefs, representing potential several human rights abuses," the letter said.

The visit comes after new video footage was aired on Fox News earlier in March from the events on January 6 that showed law enforcement officials guiding and standing alongside demonstrators inside the Capitol.

However, US Capitol Police said the news program failed to provide accurate context for the footage, claiming the officers were outnumbered and attempted to use de-escalation tactics to clear the building.