With the Republicans on the verge of taking charge of the U.S. House of Representatives on the heels of last month's elections, U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl (R-Mobile) says it is not time to close the books on the January 6, 2021 incident just yet.
During an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "The Jeff Poor Show," Carl said once the GOP is in charge, Republicans should look at the findings of the Democrat-assembled January 6 House Select Committee.
"I think for the sake of it not being waved over our head for the next two years going into the 2024 election, I think we need to take some reasonable-minded people and go through the information that they put together," he said. "Not take months, but take a few days and sit through and be able to verify that, hey, we went through, and no, there is nothing there. We've seen it. We went through it. They've got a hold on the president's records, I'm told this morning. So, it'll be a sprint to the finish line to get as much of his information pushed out there as they can."
"But we need at least take a strong look at it, give an opinion, then move on one way or another," Carl continued. "I don't think there is anything there. Again, I was here. I saw it. It kind of played out. People's emotions just got carried away. A handful tried to destroy stuff that we need to identify. We have. We've punished them. I can't find out who or how many, but they claim there are still some in jail. I don't know. We can't just ignore it. I think that's unfair."
However, the south Alabama Republican also said he had his own questions about January 6 as it pertained to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the federal government.
"There may be a handful of bad players who decided they might try to do something to disrupt," he added. "But I've got more questions about this side than the other side. For example, what did Pelosi know? Why didn't she put more security out there? Why did the Capitol Police actually open the gate? Why is there this one guy, alleged FBI, that nobody seems to be able to get a meeting with? Why was he encouraging them to storm the building? Those are just the 'whys' I want to know about. I think we've identified who the bad players are. You don't come into people's houses and tear stuff up. I don't care who you are. And I think we've got them identified, and we need to deal with them rightfully so."
"I just don't think it was organized," Carl said. "It didn't look organized. It didn't feel organized. You know, mob mentality. When the door opened, the whole mob tries to run through the door. It's just a natural reaction."
Jeff Poor is the executive editor of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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