Capitol riot inquiry probes tour by lawmaker on eve of attack

Individuals on the tour photographed areas "not typically of interest to tourists", says the committee

US lawmakers investigating the Capitol riot have shown video of a Republican giving a tour to a man who they say returned on the day of the attack.

Congressman Barry Loudermilk, the committee says, was seen with a group that includes a person who was among those outside Congress the next day.

The Georgia representative has called it a "smear campaign" by the committee.

He cited a letter from US Capitol Police saying there was nothing suspicious about his role in the tour.

Democrats have questioned whether some Republicans led any reconnaissance tours for visitors who later joined the raid on Congress as it met to certify President Joe Biden's election victory on 6 January 2021.

But no concrete evidence has emerged to support such a theory.

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The video, released online by the Democratic-led committee on Wednesday, shows Mr Loudermilk and members of his staff leading a group of about 10 people on a tour of a House of Representatives office building, a short walk from the main Capitol building.

"Individuals on the tour photographed and recorded areas of the complex not typically of interest to tourists, including hallways, staircases, and security checkpoints," committee chairman and Mississippi Democrat Bennie Thompson said, adding that the building was closed at the time of the tour.

The congressional investigators also released video of an unidentified tour-goer outside the Capitol a day later during the riot, saying of Democratic members of Congress: "There's no escape... we're coming for you."

Mr Loudermilk rebutted the "false accusation"

The committee did not allege that the man actually entered the Capitol, and they have not explicitly accused Mr Loudermilk of leading a reconnaissance tour.

In his defence, Mr Loudermilk cited a letter from US Capitol Police Chief J Thomas Manger, released on Monday, which said of the tour: "We train our officers on being alert for people conducting surveillance or reconnaissance, and we do not consider any of the activities we observed as suspicious."

In a statement after the footage was released, Mr Loudermilk tweeted: "The Capitol Police already put this false accusation to bed, yet the Committee is undermining the Capitol Police and doubling down on their smear campaign."

He had previously denied leading any tours on 5 January, then later said he gave one to a family with young children.

The 6 January select committee is seeking to show that former President Donald Trump's election fraud claims led directly to the attack on the US Capitol. They are due to hold another hearing on Thursday.

A separate ongoing criminal investigation into the riot has led to arrests of more than 800 people overall in nearly every US state.

More than 300 people have been convicted so far. On Wednesday, a man who carried a Confederate flag into the building, as well as his adult son, were found guilty of obstructing an official proceeding.

On Wednesday, federal prosecutors unveiled a nine-page manifesto from the Proud Boys, a group that allegedly played a prominent role in the attack.

The document, titled "1776 Returns", laid out detailed plans for how the Capitol complex should be occupied by protesters, but did not call for any violence against law enforcement or other officials.