1 of 3 | Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene seeks to again visit jailed defendants who are being held in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI |
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March 8 (UPI) -- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to again visit defendants who are being held in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and she hopes to bring fellow lawmakers with her, too.
Greene said she is working on a letter to send to other members of Congress to plan a trip to the D.C. Department of Corrections, The Hill reports. House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is assisting Greene and, though he said he is unsure if he would join her, he said he is surprised by how many fellow lawmakers have shown an interest in making the trip.
In 2021, the controversial Georgia congresswoman toured the wing of the prison where many Jan. 6 defendants are being held in 2021 and, according to The Hill, she has been attempting to schedule another tour since. She has alleged that the defendants have been treated unfairly in the facility.
"We're going to be addressing the human rights abuse, such as the fact that they've been held in solitary confinement up to 23 hours a day, denied the ability to see their families," she said.
Greene's accusations also include complaints about the quality of food and poor conditions of the facility, ABC News reports. A 2021 inspection of the the D.C. central jail resulted in the relocation of about 400 inmates because it did not meet federal standards. An inspection of the facility where the Jan. 6 defendants are being held "did not identify conditions" that would require a transfer of prisoners, the U.S. Marshals Service determined at the time.
There are about two dozen defendants being held in pre-trial detention at the facility, a U.S. District Attorney's Office spokesperson told ABC News.
"Almost all of those detainees are charged with assaultive conduct, and none are charged with a misdemeanor," the spokesperson said.
The potential visit to the facility would be open to lawmakers outside of the House Oversight Committee, Greene said, adding that both Republicans and Democrats could attend.
Though Comer has not committed to visiting the Department of Corrections, he said it is important to observe the facility, ABC News reports.
"We're gonna try and see what it looks like. That's part of what the Oversight Committee does with everything pertaining to the federal government, so we have some members that are going to hopefully tour that prison," Comer said.
