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WATCH: Jan. 6 panel releases video of Rep. Loudermilk leading a Capitol tour day before attack

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection released video on Wednesday of a tour led by a Republican lawmaker the day before the attack, showing participants taking photos of stairwells and tunnels in the Capitol complex.

Watch the footage in the player above.

The panel released the video as it renewed calls for the GOP lawmaker, Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk , to speak to the committee about the tour. Loudermilk has so far declined the interview and denied any wrongdoing, and the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police said in a letter to Republicans this week that after reviewing surveillance video, “we do not consider any of the activities we observed as suspicious.”

Still, the committee says it has questions. In addition to the surveillance video, the footage released by the panel also includes video of an unidentified man walking toward the Capitol on Jan. 6 holding a flagpole that appears to have a sharpened end, which he says is “for a certain person.” The committee says the man who took the video, who is not seen in the footage but is laughing and urging on the man with the flag, is one of the tour participants who was taking photos inside the Capitol the day before.

Read the full text of the letter below:

Later footage taken by the same man shows people approaching the Capitol. The man taking the video then makes apparent threats toward Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and New York Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“They’re coming in, coming in like white on rice for Pelosi, Nadler, even you, AOC,” the man says in the video released by the committee. “We’re coming to take you out and pull you out by your hairs. … When I get done with you, you’re going to need a shine on top of that bald head.”

The panel did not say whether the man got into the Capitol or whether he has faced any charges. While more than 800 people have been charged for breaking into the building, or for violently beating police officers, thousands of other protesters were outside the building or on the National Mall and did not engage in violence. The breach temporarily halted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

WATCH: ‘Trump asked us to come,’ rioters said during Jan. 6 attack

In a Wednesday letter to Loudermilk renewing the request for an interview, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s chairman, said the panel “had hoped to show you the video evidence when you met with us” but was releasing it publicly because Loudermilk had so far declined. Thompson said the areas photographed and recorded by some on the tour are “not typically of interest to tourists, including hallways, staircases, and security checkpoints.”

Another member of the panel, Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, tweeted after the video was released: “Please take a look. These are not normal tour routes, the Capitol was closed to tours.”

The back-and-forth with Loudermilk has underscored the committee’s difficulty in getting any information from Republicans who were communicating with President Donald Trump, the White House or the rioters during the insurrection or beforehand as Trump strategized about how to overturn his election defeat. While the panel has conducted more than 1,000 interviews, five GOP lawmakers have defied subpoenas, including House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, who spoke with Trump that day.

Loudermilk has not been subpoenaed, and there is no evidence that he knew that any of the participants on his tour were outside the Capitol the next day.

The Georgia Republican said in a statement after the video’s release that the panel is “is undermining the Capitol Police and doubling down on their smear campaign.” He said there is “nothing there” and noted that none of the locations they visited were breached on Jan. 6.

“As Capitol Police confirmed, nothing about this visit with constituents was suspicious,” Loudermilk said. In interview with reporters in the Capitol, he said he condemned the violent language against lawmakers but that “no one in that group showed that kind of aggression that day.”

Police reviewed the footage of Loudermilk’s tour as the committee requested his interview and after some Democrats said immediately after the attack that Republicans had led “reconnaissance tours” of the Capitol building beforehand. There has been no evidence that happened.

“This false narrative that the Committee and Democrats continue to push, that Republicans, including myself, led reconnaissance tours is verifiably false,” Loudermilk said in his statement.

WATCH: Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on the Jan. 6 hearings and a framework for gun legislation

In a letter sent Monday to Republicans on the House Administration Committee, of which Loudermilk is a member, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said there were about 15 people on the tour and that Loudermilk was showing constituents around the Capitol complex, which was closed to visitors at the time because of coronavirus concerns. But they did not enter the Capitol itself. The group also walked around one of the buildings without the congressman, Manger said.

The surveillance video released by the committee shows the group at entrances to tunnels that lead to the Capitol but not entering the building. The Capitol complex includes 20 buildings and facilities, including House and Senate offices, and underground tunnels connect most of the buildings to the Capitol.

“There is no evidence that Representative Loudermilk entered the U.S. Capitol with this group on January 5, 2021,” Manger said in the letter. “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.”

Republicans on the House Administration Committee had previously said they reviewed security footage from Jan. 5 and said there were “no tours, no large groups, no one with MAGA hats on.”

But Thompson and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the chairman and vice-chairwoman of the Jan. 6 panel, said last month that their review of the evidence “directly contradicts that denial.”

Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri and Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.

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Jan. 6 panel releases video of Capitol tour before attack

FILE - Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Georgia, listens to a speaker at a press conference, May 4, 2021, in Marietta, Ga. Police have determined a House Republican who led a tour of the U.S. Capitol the day before the Jan. 6 attack was simply showing his constituents around and not suspicious. The tour by Loudermilk had drawn scrutiny from the congressional panel investigating the insurrection. (AP Photo/Ron Harris, File)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection released video on Wednesday of a tour led by a Republican lawmaker the day before the attack, showing participants taking photos of stairwells and tunnels in the Capitol complex.

The panel released the video as it renewed calls for the GOP lawmaker, Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk, to speak to the committee about the tour. Loudermilk has so far declined the interview and denied any wrongdoing, and the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police said in a letter to Republicans this week that after reviewing surveillance video, “we do not consider any of the activities we observed as suspicious.”

Still, the committee says it has questions. In addition to the surveillance video, the footage released by the panel also includes video of an unidentified man walking toward the Capitol on Jan. 6 holding a flagpole that appears to have a sharpened end, which he says is “for a certain person.” The committee says the man who took the video, who is not seen in the footage but is laughing and urging on the man with the flag, is one of the tour participants who was taking photos inside the Capitol the day before.

Later footage taken by the same man shows people approaching the Capitol. The man taking the video then makes apparent threats toward Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and New York Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“They’re coming in, coming in like white on rice for Pelosi, Nadler, even you, AOC,” the man says in the video released by the committee. “We’re coming to take you out and pull you out by your hairs. … When I get done with you, you’re going to need a shine on top of that bald head.”

The panel did not say whether the man got into the Capitol or whether he has faced any charges. While more than 800 people have been charged for breaking into the building, or for violently beating police officers, thousands of other protesters were outside the building or on the National Mall and did not engage in violence. The breach temporarily halted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory.

In a Wednesday letter to Loudermilk renewing the request for an interview, Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee’s chairman, said the panel “had hoped to show you the video evidence when you met with us” but was releasing it publicly because Loudermilk had so far declined. Thompson said the areas photographed and recorded by some on the tour are “not typically of interest to tourists, including hallways, staircases, and security checkpoints.”

Another member of the panel, Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, tweeted after the video was released: “Please take a look. These are not normal tour routes, the Capitol was closed to tours.”

The back-and-forth with Loudermilk has underscored the committee’s difficulty in getting any information from Republicans who were communicating with President Donald Trump, the White House or the rioters during the insurrection or beforehand as Trump strategized about how to overturn his election defeat. While the panel has conducted more than 1,000 interviews, five GOP lawmakers have defied subpoenas, including House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, who spoke with Trump that day.

Loudermilk has not been subpoenaed, and there is no evidence that he knew that any of the participants on his tour were outside the Capitol the next day.

The Georgia Republican said in a statement after the video’s release that the panel is “is undermining the Capitol Police and doubling down on their smear campaign.” He said there is “nothing there” and noted that none of the locations they visited were breached on Jan. 6.

“As Capitol Police confirmed, nothing about this visit with constituents was suspicious,” Loudermilk said. In interview with reporters in the Capitol, he said he condemned the violent language against lawmakers but that “no one in that group showed that kind of aggression that day.”

Police reviewed the footage of Loudermilk’s tour as the committee requested his interview and after some Democrats said immediately after the attack that Republicans had led “reconnaissance tours” of the Capitol building beforehand. There has been no evidence that happened.

“This false narrative that the Committee and Democrats continue to push, that Republicans, including myself, led reconnaissance tours is verifiably false,” Loudermilk said in his statement.

In a letter sent Monday to Republicans on the House Administration Committee, of which Loudermilk is a member, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said there were about 15 people on the tour and that Loudermilk was showing constituents around the Capitol complex, which was closed to visitors at the time because of coronavirus concerns. But they did not enter the Capitol itself. The group also walked around one of the buildings without the congressman, Manger said.

The surveillance video released by the committee shows the group at entrances to tunnels that lead to the Capitol but not entering the building. The Capitol complex includes 20 buildings and facilities, including House and Senate offices, and underground tunnels connect most of the buildings to the Capitol.

“There is no evidence that Representative Loudermilk entered the U.S. Capitol with this group on January 5, 2021,” Manger said in the letter. “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.”

Republicans on the House Administration Committee had previously said they reviewed security footage from Jan. 5 and said there were “no tours, no large groups, no one with MAGA hats on.”

But Thompson and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the chairman and vice-chairwoman of the Jan. 6 panel, said last month that their review of the evidence “directly contradicts that denial.”

Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri and Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.

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Video shows GOP congressman leading tour of Capitol complex the day before Jan. 6 attack

By Kathryn Watson

Updated on: June 15, 2022 / 7:09 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol released new surveillance footage on Wednesday showing GOP Rep. Barry Loudermilk leading a group of people on a tour of the Capitol complex the day before the attack, with some of the guests documenting locations like staircases, security checkpoints and hallways.

The committee asked Loudermilk last month for information about a tour he led of the Capitol complex before the assault. Loudermilk denied that he ever gave a tour of the Capitol itself on Jan. 5, when it was closed to tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a review of security footage, the U.S. Capitol Police determined last month that there was "no evidence" that Loudermilk led the group into the Capitol and said "we do not consider any of the activities we observed as suspicious."

But the committee suggested otherwise in a letter to Loudermilk on Wednesday. The new footage shows the congressman leading "a tour of approximately ten individuals led by you to areas in the Rayburn, Longworth, and Cannon House Office Buildings, as well as the entrances to tunnels leading to the U.S. Capitol," Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson wrote . The group stayed for "several hours," he wrote, and some "photographed and recorded areas of the complex not typically of interest to tourists." 

Some of the individuals on the tour would join the Jan. 6 rally near the White House and the ensuing march on the Capitol, the committee said, and one of the men on the tour made "disturbing" threats against members of Congress. The panel did not say whether any of those on the tour entered the Capitol on the day of the attack.

"The select committee has learned that some individuals you sponsored into the complex attended the rally at the Ellipse on the morning of January 6, 2021," Thompson wrote. "According to video recordings from that day obtained by the select committee, the individual who appeared to photographs a staircase in the Longworth House Office building filmed a companion with a flagpole appearing to have a sharpened end who spoke to the camera saying, 'It's for a certain person," while making an aggressive jabbing motion. Later, these individuals joined the unpermitted march from the Ellipse to the U.S. Capitol. While standing near the Capitol grounds, the same individual made a video that contained detailed and disturbing threats against specific members of Congress.

"In the week following January 6, 2021, members urged law enforcement leaders to investigate sightings of 'outside groups in the complex' on January 5, 2021 that 'appeared to be associated with the rally at the White House the following day,'" Thompson continued. "The select committee's review of surveillance footage showing the above-described tour is consistent with those observations." 

The video recording from Jan. 6 released by the committee appears to show one of the men from the tour making threats against Democratic members of Congress. 

"We're coming in like white on rice," the individual says on the video. "For Pelosi, Nadler, Schumer, even you, AOC. We're coming to take you out. We'll pull you out by your hairs."

Surveillance footage shows a tour led by Loudermilk to areas in the House Office Buildings, as well as the entrances to Capitol tunnels. Individuals on the tour photographed/recorded areas not typically of interest to tourists: hallways, staircases and security checkpoints. pic.twitter.com/Rjhf2BTdbc — January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) June 15, 2022

Loudermilk has declined to meet with the committee, and harshly criticized the release of the footage in a statement on Wednesday.

"This false narrative that the Committee and Democrats continue to push, that Republicans, including myself, led reconnaissance tours is verifiably false. No where that I went with the visitors in the House Office Buildings on January 5th were breached on January 6th; and, to my knowledge, no one in that group was criminally charged in relation to January 6th," he said. "Once again, the Committee released this letter to the press, and did not contact me. This type of behavior is irresponsible and has real consequences — including ongoing death threats to myself, my family, and my staff."

A constituent of Loudermilk who was on the Jan. 5 tour and has spoken to the Jan. 6 committee told CBS News he came to Washington, D.C., for the Trump rally with other constituents who were in touch with Loudermilk. The constituent denied that it was a "reconnaissance tour." 

"That's the farthest thing from the truth," this person said. "Quite frankly, it's a disgusting allegation. It was Jan. 5, and nobody had any idea what would happen on Jan. 6."

The constituent said they didn't go into the Capitol building.

"[Rep. Loudermilk] gave us a tour of his office and I don't know exactly what buildings they were in and that was it," the person said. "I was very excited to meet a representative of Congress. I was quite impressed with the life of a congressman, and the amount of work they do."

In Thompson's letter to Loudermilk on Wednesday, he again asked that the Republican member meet with the committee as his earliest convenience. 

Michael Kaplan contributed to this report. 

Kathryn Watson is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital based in Washington, D.C.

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Inside the Capitol Visitors Center

After years of delays and millions of dollars spent, the brand-new Capitol Visitors Center opens in December

Anika Gupta

The new Capitol Visitor Center opens December 2, after an eight-year delay and a cost overrun of hundreds of millions. At 580,000 square feet, the Visitor Center is the largest addition to the Capitol in its 215-year history.

When builders broke ground for the project in June 2000, they planned to lay the final stone in late 2005. But after September 11, 2001, legislators demanded greater security measures in the Visitor Center. The estimated cost rose from $265 million to $621 million.

Now that the Visitor Center is finally open, what will visitors get?

For starters, they'll enter from the East side—the side opposite from the National Mall—and take a set of stairs into the building's underground main chamber, Emancipation Hall, which is nearly three times the size of the Capitol Rotunda. Emancipation Hall, named in honor of the enslaved laborers who helped build the original Capitol, stretches nearly 20,000 square feet underground. Statues from the National Statuary Hall collection decorate the perimeter—luminaries include Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of the television, and King Kamehameha of Hawaii, whose gold-caped statue towers over the others.

Visitors may watch a new orientation video, "E Pluribus Unum," named for the motto found on the Seal of the United States meaning "out of many, one." The curious can get additional information about the Capitol along the room's far walls. The hungry can grab a bite at a new 550-seat restaurant, catered by the same company behind the House and Senate cafeterias in the Capitol. Sightseers can loiter in museum galleries dedicated to American and Congressional history. Each "historical alcove" spans 35-50 years, and features videos and text from major events and how Congress shaped them. As the only museum dedicated to the history of the Senate and the House of Representatives, the exhibitions highlight the impact of Congressional action on our history.

Two separate viewing galleries stream videos of the Senate and the House in action, and interactive "Jeopardy"-style quizzes let visitors test their legislative know-how against a friend's.

One of the main draws is the "touchable Dome," an 11-foot polyurethane model of the Capitol, built as a replica on a 20:1 scale. Visitors can run their hands over the balconies, windows and doors, and take a peek at miniature versions of the frescos on the inside of the dome.

"We wanted to create a more complete experience," says Terrie Rouse, CEO for Visitor Services at the Visitor Center. "We have masses of people coming in of multiple ages and they all want to be informed."

For those who took the Capitol tour in years past, the experience usually began with a hike up Capitol Hill and a long wait in line. Guides took visitors into the main Rotunda, into the galleries where the House and Senate convene, and then released them to their own devices in the building's crypt. The entire tour rarely lasted more than an hour, and there was no museum to provide greater context to the experience. When winter weather turned nasty, visitors waited outside. When the summer heat and humidity was unbearable, they waited outside. Once inside, there were no restaurants, and tourists had to jockey to use one of the Capitol's five public bathrooms. The Capitol could only accommodate 1500 people at a time, but during the spring cherry blossom season, interest often peaked at 4000.

Compared to that, the new Visitor Center is an expansive, if expensive, haven.

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Anika Gupta’s writing has appeared in India and the United States, including in Business Today magazine, where she served as its first digital content editor, the Hindustan Times newspaper and Smithsonian magazine. Currently, she is a Master's student at MIT, where she studies user-generated content and mainstream media culture. She's also a science writer, media blogger, and essayist.

Jan. 6 Panel Releases Video Of Capitol Tour Before Attack

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection released video on Wednesday of a tour led by a Republican lawmaker the day before the attack, showing participants taking photos of stairwells and tunnels in the Capitol complex.

The panel released the video as it renewed calls for the GOP lawmaker, Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia, to speak to the committee about the tour. Loudermilk has so far declined the interview and denied any wrongdoing, and the chief of the U.S. Capitol Police said in a letter to Republicans this week that after reviewing surveillance video, "we do not consider any of the activities we observed as suspicious."

Still, the committee says it has questions. In addition to the surveillance video, the footage released by the panel also includes video of an unidentified man walking toward the Capitol on Jan. 6 holding a flagpole that appears to have a sharpened end, which he says is "for a certain person." The committee says the man who took the video, who is not seen in the footage but is laughing and urging on the man with the flag, is one of the tour participants who was taking photos inside the Capitol the day before.

Later footage taken by the same man shows people approaching the Capitol. The man taking the video then makes apparent threats toward Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

"They're coming in, coming in like white on rice for Pelosi, Nadler, even you, AOC," the man says in the video released by the committee. "We're coming to take you out and pull you out by your hairs. … When I get done with you, you're going to need a shine on top of that bald head."

The panel did not say whether the man got into the Capitol or whether he has faced any charges. While more than 800 people have been charged for breaking into the building, or for violently beating police officers, thousands of other protesters were outside the building or on the National Mall and did not engage in violence. The breach temporarily halted the certification of President Joe Biden's victory.

In a Wednesday letter to Loudermilk renewing the request for an interview, Rep. Bennie Thompson, the committee's chairman, said the panel "had hoped to show you the video evidence when you met with us" but was releasing it publicly because Loudermilk had so far declined. Thompson said the areas photographed and recorded by some on the tour are "not typically of interest to tourists, including hallways, staircases, and security checkpoints."

Another member of the panel, Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, tweeted after the video was released: "Please take a look. These are not normal tour routes, the Capitol was closed to tours."

The back-and-forth with Loudermilk has underscored the committee's difficulty in getting any information from Republicans who were communicating with President Donald Trump, the White House or the rioters during the insurrection or beforehand as Trump strategized about how to overturn his election defeat. While the panel has conducted more than 1,000 interviews, five GOP lawmakers have defied subpoenas, including House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, who spoke with Trump that day.

Loudermilk has not been subpoenaed, and there is no evidence that he knew that any of the participants on his tour were outside the Capitol the next day.

The Georgia Republican said in a statement after the video's release that the panel "is undermining the Capitol Police and doubling down on their smear campaign." He said there is "nothing there" and noted that none of the locations they visited were breached on Jan. 6.

"As Capitol Police confirmed, nothing about this visit with constituents was suspicious," Loudermilk said. In an interview with reporters in the Capitol, he said he condemned the violent language against lawmakers but that "no one in that group showed that kind of aggression that day."

Police reviewed the footage of Loudermilk's tour as the committee requested his interview and after some Democrats said immediately after the attack that Republicans had led "reconnaissance tours" of the Capitol building beforehand. There has been no evidence that happened.

"This false narrative that the Committee and Democrats continue to push, that Republicans, including myself, led reconnaissance tours is verifiably false," Loudermilk said in his statement.

In a letter sent Monday to Republicans on the House Administration Committee, of which Loudermilk is a member, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger said there were about 15 people on the tour and that Loudermilk was showing constituents around the Capitol complex, which was closed to visitors at the time because of coronavirus concerns. But they did not enter the Capitol itself. The group also walked around one of the buildings without the congressman, Manger said.

The surveillance video released by the committee shows the group at entrances to tunnels that lead to the Capitol but not entering the building. The Capitol complex includes 20 buildings and facilities, including House and Senate offices, and underground tunnels connect most of the buildings to the Capitol.

"There is no evidence that Representative Loudermilk entered the U.S. Capitol with this group on January 5, 2021," Manger said in the letter. "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."

Republicans on the House Administration Committee had previously said they reviewed security footage from Jan. 5 and said there were "no tours, no large groups, no one with MAGA hats on."

But Thompson and Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, the chairman and vice-chairwoman of the Jan. 6 panel, said last month that their review of the evidence "directly contradicts that denial."

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.

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Jan. 6 panel releases new surveillance video of tour given on eve of riot

WASHINGTON — The Jan. 6 Committee on Wednesday released new footage of a man who on Jan. 6 outside the Capitol made violent verbal threats against top Democratic lawmakers and who the day before had been taken on a tour of House office buildings by Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga.

The man is heard in a video outside the Capitol threatening Democrats Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

In the days after the deadly riot, Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about tours given of the Capitol complex, which had been closed to members of the public due to pandemic restrictions.

The surveillance footage released Wednesday shows Loudermilk giving a tour to a small group — some wearing red caps — as some individuals take photos of Capitol staircases, tunnels and security checkpoints that are used by lawmakers and staff members daily. 

The video does not identify the man. Or provide any evidence that he or other members of the tour Loudermilk led entered the Capitol complex on Jan. 6, when a mob of supporters of Donald Trump tried to block his election defeat.

The video includes pictures the Jan. 6 committee says the attendees of Loudermilk's tour took, including the outside of Nadler's office and what appears to be an office directory for the Judiciary Committee, with the photos of Democratic lawmakers.

“There is no escape Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler — we’re coming for you,” the man says in the video. “We’re coming in like white on rice, for Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler, even you AOC. We’re coming to take you out, and pull you out by your hairs. How about that Pelosi. 

“Might as well make yourself another appointment. When I get done with you, you’re gonna need a shine up on top of that bald head.”

NBC News reviewed additional online videos that the unidentified man filmed on the tour. In the video, he says that he’s “with Barry Loudermilk of Georgia.” While in the basement of the Cannon office building, he films public historic displays about Congress.

Loudermilk initially denied that he gave any tour on Jan. 5, 2021; when more evidence came out, he denied any wrongdoing. The Georgia Republican, a Trump ally, said the Jan. 6 committee has never personally contacted him about the tour, and that he only learned about their request for information from the media.

"They're only interested in creating a narrative for you guys," Loudermilk told reporters as he left his office Wednesday afternoon. "There's nothing there."

On Tuesday, Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said in a letter that the Loudermilk tour was not suspicious and that the group never entered the Capitol building itself, though individuals were seen in the footage taking photographs of the underground tunnel systems that were used to conduct evacuations of the Capitol on Jan. 6.

In a lengthy statement earlier Wednesday, Loudermilk called the Jan. 6 panel's focus on the tour a "smear campaign," and suggested the group had taken photos of the Rayburn subway lawmakers use to get to and from votes and included children who had just visited the House gift shop.

"The Capitol Police already put this false accusation to bed, yet the Committee is undermining the Capitol Police and doubling down on their smear campaign, releasing so-called evidence of a tour of the House Office Buildings," Loudermilk said in a statement.

"As Capitol Police confirmed, nothing about this visit with constituents was suspicious. The pictures show children holding bags from the House gift shop, which was open to visitors, and taking pictures of the Rayburn train," he continued. "This false narrative that the Committee and Democrats continue to push, that Republicans, including myself, led reconnaissance tours is verifiably false. No where that I went with the visitors in the House Office Buildings on January 5th were breached on January 6th; and, to my knowledge, no one in that group was criminally charged in relation to January 6th."

Loudermilk called the committee's focus on the tour "irresponsible," and said it has led to death threats to the congressman, his family and staff.

In his interview with reporters, Loudermilk said he was hosting a family and their guests from Georgia in the Capitol that day because restaurants in D.C. were closed due to the pandemic. As for the photos of a staircase, Loudermilk said the man was interested in a golden eagle sconce on the wall.

The congressman added that he did not personally know the man on the tour who the following day made threats against lawmakers, but he condemned that violent rhetoric, pointing out that he and other Republicans were targeted in the 2107 congressional baseball shooting.

"Look, I'm somebody who has suffered from violence of somebody deranged by political rhetoric. Five years ago yesterday was when somebody walked on the baseball field and tried to kill me and several of my colleagues," Loudermilk said.

"No, I'm totally opposed and I condemn that kind of language. But no one in that group showed that type of aggression that day."

The video released by the committee shows the tour in three House office buildings — generally considered part of the Capitol complex — but not inside the Capitol building itself.

In a statement accompanying the new video footage, Jan. 6 Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., repeated his request that Loudermilk answer questions about the 10-person group that toured appeared to tour the Cannon, Longworth and Rayburn office buildings.

"Based on our review of surveillance video, social media activity, and witness accounts, we understand you led a tour group through parts of the Capitol complex on January 5, 2021. That group stayed for several hours, despite the complex being closed to the public on that day," Thompson said. 

“Individuals on the tour photographed and recorded areas of the complex not typically of interest to tourists, including hallways, staircases, and security checkpoints.”

On Wednesday, the Jan. 6 panel also released video footage from the man on Loudermilk's tour as he and a companion walked to Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on the White House Ellipse before the attack. The companion shows off his American flag which appears to be attached to a metal pole.

"It's for a certain person," the companion says as he pretends to charge with the flag pole as if in battle.

"Somebody special! Somebody special!" the man who is filming replies.

Police officers would later say that Trump supporters violently attacked them during the Capitol riot with flag poles, clubs, fire extinguishers, mace, bear spray and other objects and chemicals.

The Jan. 6 committee is set to hold its third public hearing on Thursday. It will be focused on Trump's pressure campaign on his vice president, Mike Pence, to stop certification of Joe Biden's victory.

Scott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for NBC News.

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Vice President Kamala   Harris Launches Nationwide Economic Opportunity   Tour

The Vice President will kick off her multi-state tour with a moderated conversation in Atlanta, GA on April 29 and an event in Detroit, MI during the following week

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris announced today that she will embark on a nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour with a series of events focused on investing in communities, building wealth, and ensuring every American has the freedom to thrive. The Vice President’s tour will take her back to several states across the country as she highlights how the Biden-Harris Administration has built economic opportunity and delivered for the American people. The Economic Opportunity Tour will kick off with a moderated conversation in Atlanta, GA on April 29 and an event in Detroit, MI during the following week. Additional dates and locations will be announced soon.

“President Biden and I are committed to creating an economy in which every person has the freedom to thrive. That is why we have taken historic steps to advance economic opportunity by increasing access to capital, investing in small businesses, addressing housing costs, forgiving student loans and medical debt, investing in infrastructure, and championing additional policies that put money in people’s pockets and build wealth,” said Vice President Harris.   “Our economic approach has delivered great progress, and we will continue to invest in you, your family, and your future.”

During the Vice President’s Economic Opportunity Tour, she will highlight how the Biden-Harris Administration has delivered historic investments that have supported communities and helped people thrive. This includes making unprecedented investments in small businesses and achieving the fastest creation of Black-owned small businesses in more than 30 years, creating a record number of jobs, increasing access to capital for underserved communities, investing in infrastructure, cutting the price of insulin and expanding access to health care, erasing medical debt, forgiving more student loan debt than any administration in history and boosting investments in education, making housing more affordable, lowering child care costs, and increasing the wealth of American families. Vice President Harris will also outline additional steps that she and President Biden are taking to expand this work. She will be joined on the tour by Administration officials, members of Congress, local leaders, and other special guests.

The Vice President’s tour is a continuation of her nonstop travel to communities across the country. She has made more than 35 trips to 16 states since the beginning of 2024. This includes consistent travel to meet with small business owners and entrepreneurs in underserved communities to discuss challenges and opportunities they face. In March, she traveled to Black Wall Street in Durham, NC to announce $32 million in funds to support historically underserved entrepreneurs. She began the year in Las Vegas, NV where she announced an SBA rule that will ensure millions of Americans who have served time are eligible for SBA loan programs that help individuals start and run small businesses.

The Vice President has long been focused on ensuring that minority, rural, and low-income communities have the capital and resources they need to thrive and support small businesses. Last year, she announced that Treasury’s CDFI Fund has awarded over $1.73 billion in grants to 603 Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) across the country. In 2022, the Vice President also announced a first-of-its-kind public-private sector initiative — the Economic Opportunity Coalition (EOC) — that is a historic public-private partnership of more than 20 private sector organizations that will invest tens of billions of dollars to create opportunity and grow wealth in historically underserved communities. The EOC has already surpassed over $1 billion in increased member company deposits into community finance institutions. As a Senator, the Vice President partnered with key Congressional stakeholders to secure a transformative $12 billion investment for CDFIs and MDIs in December 2020. Since that time, she has worked to ensure these programs are as successful as possible.

Additional dates, cities, and details for media to RSVP will be available soon.

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