Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Majorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Louie Gohmert (Texas) on Thursday were turned away from the D.C. Department of Corrections where they tried to visit accused Jan. 6 rioters.
Video shows officers, who said the group was trespassing and “obstructing entrance into this facility,” denying the trio entry.
“The supervisor came down and was standing right here and turned her back on me. The other one said she won’t talk anymore and that we’re trespassers,” Gohmert said in comments to the press after the situation.
“We’re in totalitarian, Marxist territory here. This is the way third-world people get treated,” he added.
TRESPASSING: GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Louie Gohmert, and Matt Gaetz are denied entry to a corrections facility holding January 6th prisoners. pic.twitter.com/DCxUkvamzC
— The Recount (@therecount) July 29, 2021
A spokesperson from Greene’s office told The Hill they were given no explanation as to why they were turned away.
Gaetz tweeted a clip of him locked out of the facility saying the three were going to review “the conditions of the January 6th prisoners.”
“The door’s locked and we’re just here to ask questions and now they’ve locked the door and not given us access,” Gaetz said.
“This was apparently a bait and switch. We are here just to speak to a supervisor and when the supervisor came out and we came out to have that discussion, they literally ran behind us and locked the doors,” he added.
BREAKING: The DC Department of Corrections locked out multiple Members of Congress from reviewing the conditions of the January 6th prisoners.
What are they hiding?
cc: @RepLouieGohmert, @RepGosar, @RepMTG pic.twitter.com/6fLmhg7bCC
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) July 29, 2021
In a press conference after the incident, Gaetz said the representatives are concerned detainees are lacking access to evidence and concerned about their treatment, which is why they showed up at the facility to get a tour.
"The questions we've asked have gone unanswered for months… What is Merrick Garland hiding?!" – @MattGaetz pic.twitter.com/OIvn0nyN6s
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) July 29, 2021
A spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Corrections (DOC) told The Hill in a statement the trio showed up “unannounced with an unauthorized camera crew requesting a facility tour.”
“By doing so, these officials compromised safety and security operations at the DOC. Safety and security related to DOC’s facilities, staff and residents is a high priority and for that reason DOC has established procedures and protocols related to visits to its facilities. All visitors, which includes family members of residents, attorneys, and public officials, must adhere to the rules and procedures of the DOC,” the statement added.
The scene follows a press conference Greene, Gaetz, Gohmert and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) held on the first day of the Jan. 6 special commission hearing earlier this week.
At the press conference, the representatives claimed the prisoners from Jan. 6 are being treated unfairly and information about their condition is being hidden.
Via The Hill
