Conservative Republicans Go Into Frenzy Over New January 6 Footage | Vanity Fair

Article by Bess Levin

House Republicans made public thousands of hours of video recordings from January 6, following an announcement that the new Speaker, Mike Johnson, planned to do so. The far-right reaction was predictably extreme and filled with conspiracy theories.

Without surprise, right-wing Republicans responded dramatically, suggesting elaborate and unfounded ideas about the events that took place on January 6, 2021. Prominent in this was Utah senator Mike Lee, who towards the end of 2020, claimed he was spending “14 hours a day” assisting Donald Trump in overturning the election. He also encouraged Mark Meadows, then chief of staff, to arrange a meeting between lawyer Sidney Powell and President Trump.

Lee retweeted a photograph on Saturday, popular among right-wing social media, presenting a rioter in the Capitol who conspiracy theorists posit was a law enforcement officer in disguise as a Trump supporter. This individual has been identified as Kevin Lyons, a convicted rioter. “Can’t wait to ask FBI Director Christopher Wray about this,” posted Lee.

Further in the weekend, Lee doubled down on his claims in response to a video clip shared by former GOP representative Liz Cheney, who was the vice chair of the January 6 committee. He questioned, “How many of these guys are feds? (As if you’d ever tell us).” Cheney retorted, hinting that Lee was a “nutball conspiracy theorist.”

Not unexpectedly, chief conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene voiced her opinion over the weekend, calling for Speaker Johnson to form another January 6 select committee to challenge the original panel’s members and clear Trump’s supporters.

Maria Bartiromo questioned if China intentionally released the virus in America to create havoc, remove Donald Trump from the office, install Joe Biden, and then cover it up.

Elsewhere, federal courts moved to significantly weaken the Voting Rights Act. Self-proclaimed sensible Republican Nikki Haley conveyed her support for a six-week abortion ban. Some ex-Trump aides have stated that he should not assume presidency. Will their statements make a difference?

A GOP Senator fully embraced ‘Nutball’ January 6 Conspiracy Theories. Senate Dems are betting their 2024 hopes on the last two remaining red-state incumbents. Trump and Bolsonaro praised Javier Milei, encouraging far-right celebrations globally. Napoleon’s Hat was auctioned in France for $2.1 Million.

The course of Barbie's storyline, the Real Housewives controversy, the unnoticed warnings before the pandemic, the influence of French Bulldogs, Trump’s “Body Guy” and his military gambit, and Tucker Carlson’s scandalous exit from Fox News are cased within other narrations.