Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor-Greene, Louie Gohmert and Paul Gosar were all denied entry Thursday to the DC prison holding defendants arrested in connection with the Capitol riot Jan. 6.
The four members of Congress attempted to visit the defendants being held inside amid allegations of mistreatment and poor conditions inside the facilities.
After asking to speak with the supervisor of the prison, the members were accused of “trespassing” and ultimately locked out of the building, according to Taylor-Greene.
Here’s the moment we were accused of trespassing while conducting Congressional oversight at the Deplorable Jail.
What are they hiding??
After our visit, I’m even more concerned about the treatment of the prisoners inside. pic.twitter.com/N6Ljmbl93E
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) July 29, 2021
Wow… @MattGaetz, @mtgreenee, @replouiegohmert, and @RepGosar have been locked out of the federal prison while trying to ask questions and evaluate the conditions! pic.twitter.com/sci9YtDWRb
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) July 29, 2021
Taylor-Greene later called it an “abomination” in a press conference the representatives held after being denied entry, adding, “We went to this prison today as members of Congress to give oversight to a federal prison because we suspect there is a two-tiered justice system in the United States.”
“How does the Biden administration expect us to participate in the representative republic when they deprive us of access to information?” Gaetz asked. “The questions we’ve asked have gone unanswered for months … What is Merrick Garland hiding?”
“We suspect that there is a two tier justice system in the United States for Trump supporters that are charged for January 6 and catch and release… for Antifa and BLM rioters” – @mtgreenee pic.twitter.com/PJBlF3HJ8d
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) July 29, 2021
“The questions we’ve asked have gone unanswered for months… What is Merrick Garland hiding?!” – @MattGaetz pic.twitter.com/OIvn0nyN6s
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) July 29, 2021
Lawyers for Jan. 6 defendants have claimed that their clients have been beaten by jail guards, held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day and are being held for months at a time without court dates.
Paul Hodgkins last week became the first Capitol riot defendant to sentenced, receiving eight months in prison for breaching the Senate chamber on January 6. (RELATED: Federal Prosecutors Are Branding Non-Violent Jan 6 Defendants As ‘Terrorists’ To Pursue Harsher Sentences)
The DC Department of Corrections provided the following statement to the Daily Caller:
“It is the mission of the DOC to protect and treat every resident humanely and respectfully while awaiting due process. DOC carries out its mission for every resident regardless of their background and political affiliations. Every resident with DOC custody has access to food, clothing, medical care and access to legal counsel and the law library.”
“Today, congressional officials arrived at the DC Department of Corrections (DOC) Central Detention Facility (CDF) unannounced with an unauthorized camera crew requesting a facility tour. By doing so, these officials compromised safety and security operations at the DOC. Safety and security related to DOC’s facilities, staff and residents is a high priority and for that reason DOC has established procedures and protocols related to visits to its facilities. All visitors, which includes family members of residents, attorneys, and public officials, must adhere to the rules and procedures of the DOC.”