The Vice Chair of the January 6 commission says that the committee may subpoena Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice, Clarence Thomas.
Liz Cheney, a Republican representative for Wyoming and the Vice Chairwoman for the House Select committee Investigating the January 6 riots, said that the committee is currently speaking with Thomas’ legal counsel in hopes that it will convince the conservative activist to speak to them voluntarily.
“We certainly hope that she will agree to come in voluntarily, but the committee is fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena if she does not. I hope it doesn't get to that. I hope she will come in voluntarily,” Cheney told CNN’s Jake Tapper on “State of the Union” on Sunday.
The committee is in possession of email correspondence between Thomas and Donald Trump’s election attorney John Eastman as well as text messages Thomas sent Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows. In those texts, Thomas urges Meadows to fight to overturn the 2020 election results.
Last month, a lawyer for Thomas wrote to the committee, saying that he does not believe there is ample reason for Thomas to speak to the committee. He also said that his client was “willing to appear” and “eager to clear” her name but without knowing why the committee wants to speak with Thomas, he fears the intention of the talk will be “to continue the baseless harassment she has been subjected to since January 6.”
Later in the interview, Cheney indicated that the committee is still considering charges against Former President Donald Trump, but that no decision has been made.
“I think that Donald Trump, the violation of his oath of office, the violation of the Constitution that he engaged in, is the most serious misconduct of any president in the history of our nation. I think that, as I said, the committee has not decided yet whether or not we'll make criminal referrals. That's something we take very seriously.”
Cheney’s appointment as Vice Chair and her actions in the role have been extremely unpopular with voters in her party, who by and large still support Trump. She is facing a challenger in the GOP’s Wyoming primary election next month and is currently more than 20 points behind her pro-Trump opponent. If she loses the seat, she believes serving on the committee is worth it.
“If I have to choose between maintaining a seat in the House of Representatives, or protecting the constitutional republic and ensuring the American people know the truth about Donald Trump, I'm going to choose the Constitution and the truth every single day,” Cheney said.