In a press conference on Tuesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said that, in regarding to the release of the January 6 tapes, "We trust the American people to draw their own conclusions. They should not be dictated by some narrative and trust that as fact. So they can review the tapes themselves."

"We are going through a methodical process of releasing them as quickly as we can."

"As you know, we have to blur some of the faces of persons who participated in the events of that day because we don’t want them to be retaliated against, and to be charged by the Department of Justice and to have other, you know, concerns and problems."

"That's a slow process to get it done, and we are working steadily on it, we've hired additional personnel to do that, and all of those tapes, ultimately, will be out so everybody can see them and draw their own conclusions."

The remarks drew criticism from liberal outlets, including Rolling Stone, who said, I"t’s not the first time a Republican House Speaker has leveraged Jan. 6 security footage in an apparent attempt to rewrite the day’s events. In April, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy granted then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson exclusive access to the more than 40,000 hours of tapes. In turn, Carlson produced a heavily edited, cherry-picked propaganda package that claimed Jan. 6 was not a riot, but an all-but-authorized tourist visit by “orderly and meek,” concerned citizens."

The write-up by Rolling Stone is an incredible testament to the chokehold that the mainstream media has on the perception of the American public, despite facts being presented that would suggest the January 6 Committee broadcasted propaganda footage to steer a purported narrative of violence by supporters of former President Donald J. Trump.