Judicial Watch sues DC for police body cam footage of Jan 6

Conservative watchdog Judicial Watch announced Monday that it is suing Washington, D.C., for rejecting a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for all Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) footage of the January 6 riot.

The conservative group said it originally filed the footage request in August of 2021, asking for all audio and visual footage captured by MPD officers who responded to the protest on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. But MPD denied the request, claiming it was part of an “ongoing investigation and criminal proceeding."

Judicial Watch said it is "extensively investigating" the events of January 6.

“The American people deserve the full picture from the incident at the Capitol on January 6, 2021,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. “What are they hiding? The DC Metropolitan Police Department should be transparent and release these secret January 6 videos.”

Fitton said police video footage is normally released shortly after the event, but that it has been more than three years since the riot and the footage they requested has not been released.

"None of the rules for the disclosure, transparency, prosecution, and investigation have been followed. It's been thoroughly politicized, and now we're in a court fight over this basic information," Fitton said on the "Just The News, No Noise" television show. "This body cam footage is certainly going to be in the public interest to get out sooner rather than later. Especially since they want the entire election to hinge on what happened on that day."

Judicial Watch said it has appealed the department's rejection for the footage, and is seeking body cam footage from former MPD officer Michael Fanone that is related to the riot, and violent attacks on him. Fanone previously testified that his body cam footage showed how violent the crowd was at the Capitol.

"My body camera captured the violence of the crowd directed toward me during those very frightening moments," Fanone testified to the House Select Committee investigating the protest in July 2021. "It’s an important part of the record for this Committee’s investigation and for the country’s understanding of how I was assaulted and nearly killed as the mob attacked the Capitol that day, and I hope that everyone will be able to watch it.”

The MPD has acknowledged the appeal to its decision not to produce the footage, but never responded any further, according to the watchdog.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.