Matt Gaetz says Jan. 6 tapes will be released within ‘days’

The security tapes of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will be viewable to every member of the public in a matter of days, Rep. Matt Gaetz said Thursday.

“The way that the Jan. 6 tapes will be released will be through a website where any member of the public can go and observe the videos that are being released,” Mr. Gaetz, Florida Republican, said on the SiriusXM show “The Wilkow Majority.”

“My expectation is they’re going to be released in tranches and that the first tranche … to be released will be in, you know, days, not weeks,” he told host Andrew Wilkow.

Making the footage available to the public has long been a mission for Mr. Gaetz, who made it a condition when he first stepped aside to allow former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, California Republican, to win his short-lived speakership in January.

Over 40,000 hours of video is archived from Jan. 6, 2021, the day supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol to protest the certification of President Biden’s election victory.

The Justice Department has hunted down those involved in the Capitol riot and charged almost 1,200 with federal crimes related to their participation at the riot.

More than 800 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial, and approximately 700 people involved in the riot have been sentenced, with about two-thirds getting prison terms ranging from three days to 22 years.

Since Mr. McCarthy told reporters in January that he decided to release the footage, defendants in Jan. 6 cases, their attorneys, media and nonprofit groups have had limited access through congressional closed-circuit TV terminals.