House Republicans Hold Jan. 6 Hearing, Fact-Checked Claims Emerge

A new Republican-led congressional subcommittee, formed to investigate the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, held its inaugural public hearing this week. During the hearing, Republican lawmakers made claims regarding the Biden administration and the events of the riot. NPR conducted a fact-check of statements made during the hearing.

Hearing Context and Focus

The hearing took place against the backdrop of former President Trump's pardons for Jan. 6 defendants. Stewart Rhodes, the former leader of the Oath Keepers convicted of seditious conspiracy, attended the hearing. Rhodes received a commutation from Trump, releasing him from prison while his conviction remains.

The official topic of the hearing was "Examining the Investigation into the DNC and RNC Pipe Bombs." On Jan. 6, two bombs were discovered outside the Republican and Democratic national committee headquarters, diverting law enforcement resources. The investigation into who planted these bombs had not resulted in an arrest for nearly five years.

Dan Bongino, who later became Deputy Director of the FBI, initially made statements about the pipe bombs being an "inside job" in November 2024. A year later, as a top FBI official, he announced charges against Brian Cole, Jr., a 30-year-old from Virginia accused of planting the bombs. Cole, who has pleaded not guilty, reportedly confessed and stated he believed votes in the 2020 election were "tampered" with. Bongino addressed his changed stance in December 2025, stating his past opinions were as a podcaster, while his current role required him to serve as deputy director. He left the FBI in January 2026.

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chair of the subcommittee, focused on the pipe bomb case, criticizing the FBI for the delay in solving it and stating internal documents presented a challenging view of the investigation during the Biden administration. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) praised the FBI, under Director Kash Patel, for making an arrest.

Fact-Checked Claims from the Hearing

Several claims made by lawmakers during the hearing were examined for factual accuracy:

• Claim by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.): "The Biden FBI did have undercover agents and confidential informants embedded within the rally crowds...And the Biden FBI did conspire to entrap MAGA Americans prior to J6 and then successfully entrapped several hundred Americans on J6."

  • Facts: Joe Biden was not president on January 6; Donald Trump was. The FBI was led by Christopher Wray, a Trump appointee, at the time. Biden took office two weeks after the riot. A Department of Justice inspector general report found no evidence that any FBI confidential sources were authorized to enter the Capitol or break the law, nor were they directed to encourage illegal acts. The report also found no evidence of undercover FBI employees in the crowds or at the Capitol on January 6.

• Claim by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) and Counter-Claim by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.): Raskin stated Trump "did nothing to send out the National Guard under his unilateral direct control in the District of Columbia." Loudermilk countered that Trump "cannot just send the National Guard unless the National Guard is requested by the legislative branch" and that requests were made "only after shots were fired in the Capitol." He referred to a request made to the Department of Defense in the one o'clock hour on Jan. 6.

  • Facts: The president has direct control of the D.C. National Guard. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund requested assistance from the Guard prior to the breach of the building, but troops arrived hours later. Reports from Capitol Police and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General indicate the following timeline:
    • 1:09 p.m. and 1:22 p.m.: Sund asked House and Senate Sergeants at Arms to declare an emergency and formally request Guard assistance. Rioters had breached the outer perimeter but not yet the building.
    • 1:49 p.m.: Sund directly called the commanding general of the D.C. National Guard to request assistance.
    • 2:10 p.m.: Sund received formal authorization from the Capitol Police Board.
    • 2:13 p.m.: Rioters broke a Capitol window and entered the building.
    • 2:44 p.m.: Officer Michael Byrd fired a shot, striking Ashli Babbitt. National Guard troops arrived at the Capitol at 5:55 p.m. Loudermilk's Deputy Chief of Staff clarified that the congressman's reference to a request made "only after shots were fired" was intended to allude to the authorized mobilization of the D.C. National Guard at approximately 3:04 PM, not the initial request.

• Claim by Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas): Nehls criticized police officers Harry Dunn, Aquilino Gonell, Michael Fanone, and Daniel Hodges who testified before the previous Jan. 6 select committee, calling them "four Trump haters who gave highly scripted and pre-planned testimonies."

  • Facts: The officers, from Capitol Police and D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department, have publicly criticized Trump due to injuries and trauma sustained on Jan. 6. However, their political affiliations are not uniformly anti-Trump; for example, Fanone, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and heart attack, stated he voted for Trump in 2016, a decision he later regretted.