Today, the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy is releasing a new online Portrait in Oversight examining Congress’s investigation of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
First published in our book, Congress Investigates: George Washington to January 6 (March 2025), this portrait is now available as a stand-alone online resource and as a downloadable PDF, making it easier to read, share, teach, and reference.
The portrait examines the work of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, following the assault. It provides a factual account of the committee’s oversight activities, including its investigative strategy, hearings, findings, recommendations, and the immediate aftermath of its work, as reflected in the public record through the publication date of our book.
Legislative oversight plays a critical role in democratic governance. Done well, Congressional oversight assembles a public record that supports fact-finding, accountability, and a foundation for future reforms. It also provides future generations with documented evidence of how the legislative branch responds to major national events.
Readers may access this portrait individually online or download it as a PDF. Those interested in the broader history of congressional investigations can find this and other portraits together in Congress Investigates, which traces oversight from the founding era through January 6. For additional information, click here for a 2023 panel discussion with oversight experts examining the work of the Jan 6 committee.
This portrait is the latest in a series of profiles developed by the Levin Center of notable congressional investigations and key figures in the history of congressional oversight from 1792 to the modern era.