'Morons fooled again': Johnson slammed for 'cherry-picked' Jan. 6 footage release

Speaker Mike Johnson’s pledge to release 40,000 hours of Jan. 6 surveillance footage has produced just 90 hours as the House Republican leader grapples with "continued privacy and security concerns,” federal prosecutors say.

U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C. Michael Graves challenged calls to lift the protective order on the footage in a Friday court filing that notes the speaker has only been able to manage a “limited” release.

“Speaker Johnson and the Committee have recognized the continued privacy and security concerns in releasing such footage,” the motion reads.

“As of the date of this motion, the Committee’s online viewing room appears to have made only approximately 90 clips of surveillance footage publicly available."

Johnson initially promised to make the footage available as he tried to appease Republican lawmakers angered by his decision to work with Democrats and keep the government funded, the New York Times noted at the time.

The footage has long been demanded by far-right Republicans, among them U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who believe the footage will prove conspiracy theories that the attack on the Capitol was an inside job.

But federal prosecutors noted Friday multiple challenges stand in the Speaker’s way, namely a order that protects “highly sensitive” material and the need to blur faces of private citizens who might be “targeted for retaliation.”

ALSO READ: Revealed: How South Carolina’s capital city accommodated Trump ‘patriots’

The filing appears in the federal case against Michael John Dillon, who stands accused of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Graves motion challenges Dillon's request to lift all protection orders over the footage because of Johnson's announcement.

"Dillon claims that the U.S. House of Representatives’ recent announcement of its intent to release surveillance footage from January 6, 2021 renders 'the grounds and basis for this Court’s protective orders and certain rulings in this case . . . moot.'" the motion reads.

"[But] Dillon fails to articulate any factual or legal basis for such relief, and his motion should be denied."

Politico’s Kyle Cheney was first to spot the filing and share it with his X followers who were quick to share their translations of the legalese in Graves’ filing.

“In other words too many new insurrectionists are being found and arrested,” wrote @TheMeanStroke.

“So he released a cherry picked section of footage to appease the cult who cant do math to differentiate 90 hours from 44,000 just like we said he would,” added @JustASaneGirl.

“They thought they were getting the big candy bars for Halloween but they only got the fun size,” wrote Emmanuel.

SweetTeaFleurDeLis said, “I like the part where he wanted criminals' faces blurred so they wouldn't be arrested.”

"MAGA morons got fooled again!" @JustQue666 said.