The representatives sent a letter to Garland last week to request a meeting to discuss “unanswered questions” about those serving time due to charges from the Capitol riot.
The press conference was brief, as it was interrupted by protestors blowing whistles and holding signs that read “Jan 6th was an inside job, vets for Democrats” and “Traitors + Rapists: Sit Down.”
The press conference was held as members of the January 6 committee are hearing testimony from Capitol police who were on the scene during the insurrection on January 6. The group is a bipartisan commission charged by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi with investigating the origins of the riot.
Republican representative Liz Cheney, one of two GOP members on the committee, thanked the officers for their “heroism and bravery” that day and for telling their story in front of the committee.
“I certainly join the chairman and every member of this committee in our commitment to making sure we get to the truth and that those who did this are accountable,” she said. The updates for this event have ended.
“The fact that they’ve gone from recognizing what happened on the 6th to protesting in front of the Justice Department on behalf of those who are part of the insurrection is something that tI can’t explain,” she said. “I think it’s a disgrace.”
“The public demands it,” Gosar said, “and the defendants deserve equal treatment under the law.”
“How is it that those who are not even citizens get better treatment and have due process at Gitmo [Guantanamo Bay],” he added
They began playing music, drowning out the words of the speakers, as the protest continued.
“You saw what happened here. The left shut us down, they hate free speech,” one press conference organizer said as whistling from hecklers continued.
Gaetz was followed to his car by protesters. One woman with a camera repeatedly asked Gaetz if he was a pedophile.
Whistles continued to blow as signs read “January 6th was an inside job.” Others yelled, “free the January 6th prisoners.”
The representatives were quickly lead away by security.
During the first set of speeches from representatives, one person was blowing a whistle.
Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene took the podium to tell the protestors “we will not back down, we will not stop asking questions or looking from the truth.”
Then, protestors with signs calling out “fascism” moved behind the representatives, causing the press conference to end.
More protestors gathered and a band became playing to drown out the speakers. The representatives were rushed away by security.
He said everyone at the press conference “condemns the lawlessness” of the violence at the Capitol on January 6 but “defends those who were there peacefully protesting.”
Good said he and his colleagues are “demanding answers to serious questions that the Department of Justice ignore.”
“There should be no question to the treatment of Americans [in prison],” he said. “Due process must be afforded to all Americans.”
“We are not here to do more than say give us answers to the questions we asked,” he said.
“Let us know people are treated fairly and humanely,” he added. “That is not too much to ask from the United States or the U.S. Department of Justice.”
