Jan. 6 Panel Subpoenas GOP Leader McCarthy, Four Other Trump-Allied Congressmen
© AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite
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The House Select Committee probing the Jan. 6 insurrection is expected to begin public hearings on June 9, beginning with a broad review of its 10-month probe. The panel will likely focus on the conduct of then-President Donald Trump and GOP officials, including whether 45 and his allies pressured the DoJ to overturn the 2020 election results.
The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the US Capitol on Thursday announced the issuance of subpoenas to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and four other Trump-allied US lawmakers who have previously refused the panel’s request to voluntarily cooperate with the probe.
Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Mo Brooks (R-AL), and Scott Perry (R-PA) were named alongside the House GOP leader.
The issuance marks the first time the 9-member panel has formally sought testimony from sitting members of Congress.
Both McCarthy and Brooks have been called to appear before the committee for their respective depositions on May 31, and Jordan has been called to testify on May 27. Their depositions will notably take place after both Perry and Biggs’ testimonies on May 26.
Each GOP lawmaker subpoenaed on Thursday was initially given the opportunity to voluntarily cooperate with the probe.
“Regrettably, the individuals receiving subpoenas today have refused and we’re forced to take this step to help ensure the committee uncovers facts concerning January 6th,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), chair of the House Select Committee investigating January 6, said in a quoted statement.
“We urge our colleagues to comply with the law, do their patriotic duty, and cooperate with our investigation as hundreds of other witnesses have done.”
10 April 2022, 21:39 GMT
The committee noted that it is well aware that McCarthy was in contact with then-President Trump before, during, and after the deadly insurrection. The House GOP leader was also in constant contact with the White House in the days before and after January 6, 2021.
“Mr. McCarthy also claimed to have had a discussion with the President in the immediate aftermath of the attack during which President Trump admitted some culpability for the attack,” read the panel’s memo.
As for Jordan, the House Select Committee believes that his communications with Trump on January 6 are extremely relevant to the investigation, as well as reports that the US lawmaker, throughout late 2020 and early 2021, was involved in meetings and discussions on how to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Per the panel, Perry was “directly involved” with efforts to corrupt the US Department of Justice and install Jeffrey Clark as acting US attorney general. The lawmaker also had a number of communications with the White House around January 6, “including allegations that Dominion voting machines had been corrupted.”
Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., center, speaks next to Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., left, and Randy Weber, R-Texas, right, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, in Washington.
© AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin
Former White House personnel have identified Biggs as someone who was potentially seeking a presidential pardon from Trump to clear himself of wrongdoing following efforts to convince state officials that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.
Biggs was also allegedly involved in plans to bring demonstrators to Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, when Electoral College votes were being certified by the US Senate and then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Brooks, who spoke at Trump’s rally on January 6, encouraged demonstrators to “start taking down names and kicking ass” and has publicly recounted conversations in which Trump urged him to “rescind the election of 2020” and reinstall Trump as head of state.
Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ark., speaks Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, at a rally in support of President Donald Trump called the "Save America Rally." Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, rescinded his endorsement of Brooks in Alabama's U.S. Senate race.
© AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin
“The Select Committee also has evidence that Mr. Brooks’s staff met with members of Vice President Pence’s staff before January 6th and conveyed the view that the Vice President does not have authority to unilaterally refuse to count certified electoral votes,” the memo detailed.
As of this article’s publication, the 9-member panel of seven Democrats and two Republicans has obtained relevant testimony from a plethora of individuals, including Trump White House special assistant Cassidy Hutchinson, Ken Klukowski–who advised ex-DoJ official Jeffrey Clark–and Alexandra Preate, a press assistant for former White House strategist Steve Bannon, the sole individual to be brought up on federal charges related to the Jan. 6 insurrection.
