The Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police has written a letter confirming that Congressman Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), had a group of 15 people tour the U.S. Capitol complex on January 5, the day before the violent and deadly insurrection, for at least two hours, but says they did not appear “suspicious.”
Calling it a “shifting story,” Politico reports “Loudermilk’s description of his tour group has changed markedly.” It adds the letter “confirms evidence that the Jan. 6 select committee said it had last month.”
It remains unknown if any of the group of 15 or so returned to the Capitol on January 6.
“Loudermilk has not identified any of the tour guests or indicated whether any of them were later seen in footage connected to the events of Jan. 6,” Politico adds.
CBS News’ Scott MacFarlane last month noted the U.S. Capitol buildings were closed to the public on January 5, 2021, because of COVID:
The House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack has been investigating Rep. Loudermilk’s tour, and the participants who the congressman first said were “about a dozen people,” then later called them “a constituent family with young children,” then later again added they had some “guests” join them.
“On January 5, 2021, Representative Loudermilk’s group of constituents (a group of approximately 12 people which later grew to 15 people) entered the Rayburn Building at 11:00 a.m, and was met by a Congressional staffer,” Chief of Police J. Thomas Manger says in his letter. “Shortly thereafter, the group departed from the building entrance (out of camera range but within the building) in the direction of Rayburn Room 2133 (Representative Loudermilk’s office.)”
At or after 1:00 PM the group “continued in the Cannon without Representative Loudermilk. At no time did the group appear in any tunnels that would have led them to the U.S. Capitol. In addition. the tunnels leading to the U.S. Capitol were posted with USCP officers and admittance to the U.S. Capitol without a Member of Congress was not permitted on January 5, 2021.”
“There is no evidence that Representative Loudermilk entered the U.S. Capitol with this group on January 5, 2021. We train our officers on being alert for people conducting surveillance or reconnaissance, and we do not consider any of the activities we observed as suspicious.”
Loudermilk has now used the letter to declare, “I never gave a tour of the Capitol on Jan 5, 2021,” but many include the Capitol office buildings, which are attached, as part of the Capitol.
“I’m sorry if I don’t distinguish between the two,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA), of the Capitol and the offices, “because those rioters tried to get in every corner of these buildings.”
Dr. Allison Gill, who tweets under her former podcast’s name “Mueller She Wrote,” calls out Loudermilk and notes the head of the Proud Boys had a plan that “included occupying multiple government buildings.”