GOP lawmakers accused of 'trespassing' at DC prison holding Capitol riot suspects

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A group of Republican lawmakers were accused of "trespassing" on the property of a Washington, D.C. correctional facility Thursday, after they attempted to view the "conditions of the January 6th prisoners."

Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, and Louie Gohmert of Texas were refused entry by the D.C. Department of Corrections as they tried to make contact with inmates held on charges related to the Capitol riot.

"You right now are obstructing entrance into this facility," an officer informed GOP lawmakers in a video posted to Twitter. 

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Gohmert and Greene objected to being told they were trespassing. 

"We’re the people that vote on whether or not to fund you, at what level, and we’re trespassing?" Gohmert said to the officer. "My gosh the government is upside down," he added. 

The detention center is funded through D.C. taxpayers and is not a federal facility. 

Gaetz tweeted a video of himself walking up to one of the building's doors and attempting to enter. 

"The door's locked and we’re just here to ask questions and now they’ve locked the door and not given us access," Gaetz said.

"This was apparently a bait and switch. We are here just to speak to a supervisor and when the supervisor came out and we came out to have that discussion, they literally ran behind us and locked the doors," he added.

Fox News could not immediately reach the D.C. Department of Corrections for comment. 

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The lawmakers' attempts to get inside the correctional facility followed a Tuesday press conference outside of the Department of Justice where they demanded answers from the Biden administration as to the treatment of those charged in the Jan. 6 attack.

The group, joined by Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar, alleged that those charged in the attack on the Capitol are "political prisoners."

The lawmakers have questioned whether the prisoners are being treated unfairly and accused the federal government of concealing their living conditions. 

"We suspect there is a two-tier justice system in the United States, for Trump supporters that are charged for Jan. 6 and catch-and-release for BLM rioters," Greene said Thursday.

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A spokesperson for Greene’s office said the lawmakers "wrote multiple letters informing the facility they would conduct oversight with no response."

Her office did not comment on whether they will try to schedule a future visit.