Johnson flip-flops on Trump Jan. 6 rioter pardons — then orders probe into committee

After Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said that January 6 rioters who committed acts of violence should not be let off the hook — he's standing by President Donald Trump's move to pardon hundreds of rioters, according to Politico.

Politico's Kyle Cheney reported via Bluesky, "This morning, Speaker Johnson said he won't 'second-guess' Donald Trump's pardons of Jan. 6 defendants and said 'We’re not looking backwards, we’re looking forwards.' Then he ordered up an investigation of the Jan. 6 committee."

Per Cheney's report, Johnson has "announced plans to appoint a new select subcommittee — led by Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) — to take aim at the work of the previous Jan. 6 subcommittee that first" investigated the Capitol attack.

READ MORE: 'Wasn’t about Donald Trump': The 'real' reason Mike Johnson fired the intel chair

"The president’s made his decision; I don’t second guess those," the speaker said. "We move forward, there are better days ahead of us, that’s what we’re excited about."

Loudermilk, according to Cheney, had a different perspective.

The Georgia lawmaker "told reporters Wednesday that 'looking backwards' was a key aspect of the panel’s ability to make changes for the future."

Loudermilk added, "You’ve got to look backwards to look forward."

READ MORE: Mike Johnson retaliates against House Republican who voted against him in speaker election

Politico's full report is available here.