Jan 6 Panel Says It Can't Ensure To Protect Identity Of People Who Cooperated With Its Probe

The Jan. 6 committee dissolves on Tuesday, and before that it warned President Joe Biden’s White House that it cannot ensure that the identity of people who cooperated with its investigation on the condition of anonymity will remain protected.

The panel had agreed that it “would do its utmost to protect the identity” of certain witnesses if the White House allowed them to sit for an interview, reported CNN. But now the committee has said that it “cannot ensure enforcement of the commitment to maintain the confidentiality of the identity of the witnesses.” The reason they gave was that the committee will no longer exercise control over interview transcripts after being dissolved, a Dec. 30, 2022 letter revealed.

The committee wrote to Richard Sauber, special counsel for Biden, that pursuant to "long-standing House rules," the official records of the panel will be archived and passed into the control of the National Archives. The panel noted that it shared “concern for the safety, security, and reputations of our witnesses.”

The Jan. 6 committee has started transmitting materials to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Dozens of interview transcripts were also released publicly. In some cases, the committee redacted the names of witnesses in transcripts that were made available for public review. As the Republicans take control of the House, they are preparing to direct the panel's evidence to another House committee under Grand Old Party control. Under House rules that were proposed for the next Congress, the committee and the Archives would be directed to provide material to the House Administration Committee by Jan. 17.

The Jan. 6 committee completed an 18-month investigation of the 2021 Capitol riot and had sent its work to the Department of Justice along with a recommendation for prosecuting former President Donald Trump. Its time officially ends Tuesday when the new Republican-led House was sworn in, reported the Associated Press.

Chairman Bennie Thompson and Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney said in a departing message on Monday that accountability is now "critical to thwart any other future scheme to overturn an election." They shared that they have "made a series of criminal referrals, and our system of Justice is responsible for what comes next."