Taxpayer money took a wild ride with the U.S. House select committee that probed the January 6, 2021, Capitol unrest. The cost of their investigation -- complete with lavish TV production expenses -- ballooned to a staggering $17.4 million, nearly twice the $9.3 million once projected by The Washington Post, as Just the News reports. That’s a hefty tab for a panel that some argue veered into Hollywood territory.
This saga centers on a committee formed to uncover the truth behind the chaotic events of Jan. 6, with spending that soared to $17.4 million and included the hiring or TV producers and filmmakers to craft dramatized narratives.
Let’s rewind to the 2020 presidential election, where Joe Biden clinched victory over Donald Trump by razor-thin margins -- think 44,000 votes across Georgia, Arizona, and Wisconsin. Trump challenged the results, alleging fraud, though 62 of his 63 legal battles fell flat in court.
Fast forward to Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse in Washington drew over 28,000 attendees through security checks. More than 2,000 breached the Capitol, and a series of tragic outcomes followed -- Ashli Babbitt was fatally shot by a Capitol Police officer, and Officer Brian Sicknick died the next day after collapsing. Four other officers who were there took their own lives within months.
The next day, Trump conceded that he wouldn’t serve a consecutive term. But the damage was done, and the fallout demanded answers. By June 2021, the House voted to form a select committee to dig into the attack’s causes.
This wasn’t just any panel -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi handpicked a nine-member team, including two anti-Trump Republicans, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, after rejecting two of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s nominees. With seven Democrats and two Republicans, the balance seemed tilted from the start. Over 18 months, they hired 60 full-time staff and conducted over 1,000 interviews.
Now, let’s talk money -- $17.4 million, to be exact, compared to the median House committee budget of $6 million annually. That’s not just a little over; it’s a jaw-dropping overrun. And for what?
A chunk went to hiring TV news veterans and documentary filmmakers, including a former ABC News president and an Emmy-winning producer, to create videos that dramatized the case against Trump. Is this an investigation or a prime-time special? Taxpayers might wonder whether their hard-earned dollars funded facts or flair.
“The median budget for a House committee is $6 million a year, so for the Jan. 6 committee to spend $17.4 million is excessive,” said Dan Savickas, president of policy and government affairs at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance. He added that hiring filmmakers suggests a focus on narrative over accountability. Well, Dan, when a committee splurges on Hollywood talent, it’s hard not to see this as a scripted drama rather than a sober inquiry.
Then there’s the payroll -- full-time staffers, like chief counsel Timothy J. Heaphy, raked in nearly $190,000 in compensation over 12 months, topping the $174,000 salary of regular Congress members. Contractors, including firms like Polar Solutions Inc. ($2.7 million) and Innovative Driven Inc. ($2.4 million), also cashed in big. Yet, specifics on freelancer pay remain murky, hidden from the House’s public expenditure list.
The committee’s findings pinned Trump as the “central cause” of an attempted insurrection, citing his multi-pronged efforts to overturn the election, from fake elector slates to raising $250 million post-election. They also noted Trump’s 187-minute delay in urging supporters to stand down as violence unfolded on TV. Hard to argue that’s leadership in a crisis.
Yet, critics point out the panel barely scratched the surface on law enforcement failures, with just 5% of their 845-page report addressing security lapses. A 2023 Georgetown study and a Politico op-ed by Professor Donell Harvin called the attack “the most telegraphed” in history. Seems like a missed opportunity to hold all players accountable, not just one.
While the committee referred four criminal charges against Trump to the Justice Department, over 900 others were convicted for their roles in the unrest. A February 2023 General Accountability Office study pegged the attack’s cost to taxpayers at $2.7 billion, mostly for law enforcement. That’s a double whammy -- billions in losses and millions more for an investigation that some call overproduced.
In 2023, House Speaker Mike Johnson formed a new subcommittee to revisit security failures on Jan. 6, chaired by Rep. Barry Loudermilk.
Maybe this group will focus on practical fixes instead of televised theatrics. One can only hope taxpayers get a better return on investment this time.
