Republican Rep. Harriet Hageman (WY-At-Large) challenged former Justice Department prosecutor Michael Romano on whether any participants in the January 6th protest in 2021 had been convicted under the federal insurrection statute. It was a question that led Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-8) to attempt to interject, to no avail.
The tense exchange came during the first hearing of the GOP-led Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding January 6 on Wednesday. And it was prompted by Raskin's statement earlier in the hearing about Pamela Hemphill, a former supporter of President Trump who refused a pardon for her entanglement in the mostly peaceful protest.
"I would just commend to everybody the testimony of Pamela Hemphill, who was a convicted insurrectionist that was pardoned," Raskin suggested. "She rejected her pardon."
This prompted Hageman to directly challenge the Democrat and media-driven narrative that anybody had been convicted of insurrection.
"Mr. Romano, did you prosecute anyone related to January 6th for engaging in an insurrection?" she asked.
Romano responded, "No, congresswoman."
That's when a bit of the fireworks showed up, as a seemingly flustered Raskin attempted to shut down Hageman's line of questioning.
.@RepHageman triggered a shouting response from Rep. Jamie Raskin when she asked a January 6th prosecutor an inconvenient question. pic.twitter.com/4N5EpjCcpt
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 15, 2026
READ MORE: White House Shreds Democrats' Jan. 6 Narrative With New 5th Anniversary Website
In reality, Hemphill's convictions consisted of a misdemeanor charge of parading, demonstrating, or picketing in the Capitol building.
"So, Mr. Raskin's statement that someone was a 'convicted insurrectionist' is actually inaccurate, isn't that correct?" the former trial attorney pressed.
Romano attempted to hedge a bit, leading Hageman to restate, "She wasn't a convicted insurrectionist, was she?"
"Would the gentlelady yield?" Raskin chimed in.
"No, I will not," the congresswoman countered without missing a beat. "Mr. Romano, did you prosecute anyone for engaging in an insurrection related to January 6th?"
"For the crime of insurrection, no," he admitted.
Hageman posted a clip of the xchange with Romano on X writing, "At the first @J6Select Subcommittee hearing, I demanded real answers, not political narratives."
What a novel concept.
At the first @J6Select Subcommittee hearing, I demanded real answers, not political narratives. pic.twitter.com/CdKEHmngIB
— Rep. Harriet Hageman (@RepHageman) January 14, 2026
There's little doubt sparks like this are going to fly throughout the new J6 Committee's proceedings as Republicans turn the concocted narrative put forth by the Democrats for years on its head.
Republican Rep. Barry Loudermilk (GA-11), the chair of the panel, has expressed the committee's intent to get down to the truth, much of which has been swept under the rug by his colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
“My objective in this committee is to get the truth, without political bias, of what happened,” he said during the hearing.
Raskin would counter, "The truth is a resilient thing. We’re not going to put up with a pack of lies in this subcommittee and a bunch of conspiracy theories.”
Aside from what Hageman exposed, Raskin is a particularly interesting character due to his involvement in the narrative that objecting to the results of an election and interrupting government proceedings are somehow criminal in nature.
Raskin, in 2016, officially and during the proceedings certifying electoral votes, was one of the Democrats who stood up and objected to the presidential election results 11 separate times.
Four years later, Raskin and the Democrats had redefined such objections as an insurrection, an assault on democracy, and borderline treason.
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