House Democrats said their visit as part of a GOP-led trip to the Washington, D.C. jail where rioters from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection are being held showed they had no remorse for their actions.
The comments came after the trip, which was organized by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) earlier this month, following criticism from some Republicans about the conditions in the jail and about the defendants being held without bail.
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said in an interview on MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House” that visiting the jail was difficult as the members saw those who hurt law enforcement officials and tried to “overthrow” democracy during the insurrection.
“The worst part about it was when we actually saw the inmates, the Republicans rushed to them like they were celebrities and talking to them, patting them on the back, interacting with them These are folks that show no remorse,” Garcia said.
He said the defendants are being treated “fairly” and have access to medical care 24 hours a day. The California Democrat added that the defendants also have tablets for entertainment and can communicate with their families.
Garcia said Greene is “lying” to media and her claims that the conditions are poor in the jail are “just not true.”
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) told reporters following the visit that those on the trip went to a communal area and were close to where the inmates were. She said they had access to phones and had community rooms they could spend time in and rooms where they could meet with their attorneys.
Crockett explained that the members also went to an area where the jail has a program that allows inmates to engage if they are interested in certain educational fields, like law. She said they were also briefed on the medical area for the inmates, which she said was “kind of amazing” and almost “a little hospital inside the jail.”
The Texas lawmaker said other jails that she has seen in the past only had a small nurse’s office or station, and inmates would be “lucky” if a doctor came in.
“There’s definitely a doctor always here. They provide dental. They were showing us X-ray,” she claimed. “I mean they have everything here.”
Some controversy surrounding conditions in the jail emerged in October after about three dozen Jan. 6 defendants requested that they be transferred to the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba because of the conditions they were experiencing. They said they observed black mold and worms on the jail’s walls and in its food.
Greene said at a press conference after the visit that the tours of the jail should continue until as many members of Congress as possible can see the conditions. She said she also wants members of the media to be able to see the conditions in the jail and talk to the defendants about their experiences.
Crockett said she met with Jonathan Mellis, who is facing a range of charges stemming from the attack. She said he was “definitely not remorseful” and “proclaimed” his innocence.
She said Mellis said he did not fully realize what was happening as the insurrection was unfolding and acknowledged that events became “a little rowdy.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who serves as the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, said earlier this month as Greene was seeking to organize the trip that Republicans’ “sudden and selective sympathy for January 6 insurrectionists reflects their continuing effort to lionize” the attack on the Capitol.