Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan insisted Wednesday that an investigation is underway over accusations "members of Congress" gave rebels detailed tours of the Capitol ahead of the insurrection before the protest.
"All of that is being reviewed, both people on the campus who were here and behavior before and after, a lot of videos floating around out there," Ryan told NPR. "That's all going to be considered, including anybody that may have been on the inside, including members of Congress."
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Ryan told reporters earlier that the suspicious tours consisted of "handfuls" of people.
"You know, enough to be a group," he said. "It wasn't a one-on-one or a small family." He added that he was informed of "a couple" of alleged associates of rebels though was waiting on verification.
Requests for a comment by the U.S. Capitol Police were not immediately returned.
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By Wednesday afternoon, 30 House lawmakers had signed on to a letter urging Capitol security officials for knowledge on which lawmakers or their staff approved visitors into the Capitol on Jan. 5, the day before the turmoil. Among other things, the letter further asked for information on whether logbooks were kept and updated of visitors, whether outside law enforcement agencies had asked for copies of them, the standards for entry into the Capitol, and whether facial recognition software is practiced for visitors entering the complex.
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The letter, directed to the acting House sergeant-at-arms, the acting Senate sergeant-at-arms, and the acting chief of Capitol Police, alleged that many lawmakers and staff with military backgrounds who are "trained to recognize suspicious activity" saw "an extremely high number of outside groups in the complex" the day before the protest occurred.
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"This is unusual for several reasons, including the fact that access to the Capitol Complex has been restricted since public tours ended in March of last year due to the pandemic," the letter announced.
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Yet some Republicans like Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama have been called out by Democrats for helping encourage the brutality, there has been no evidence so far that any member of Congress directly encouraged carry out last Wednesday's strike. Brooks, as well as Arizona Republican Reps. Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar, have all denied any engagement in last week's surge. Right-wing activist Ali Alexander insisted he colluded with the congressmen in a now-deleted video on Periscope found by the Project on Government Oversight.
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