WASHINGTON — The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol subpoenaed Arizona GOP Rep. Andy Biggs and four other Republican House members Thursday who the panel believes have knowledge of the events leading up to the attack, including communication with then-President Donald Trump.
The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol sent subpoenas to House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Mo Brooks of Alabama. The Republican members all had been invited to testify voluntarily, committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), said in a Thursday news release.
Three-paragraph letters Thompson sent to the Republican members Thursday said the committee seeks to respect members’ privacy, but that it is also compelled to seek information relevant to its investigation.
“The Select Committee believes that you have information that is important to its investigation,” the subpoenas read. “Unfortunately, you have declined voluntary cooperation, and we are left with no choice but to issue you this subpoena.”
It is unclear what recourse the committee would have if the members also decline to cooperate with the subpoenas. The panel plans to hold public hearings next month.
McCarthy told reporters on Capitol Hill he did not view the committee’s investigation as legitimate. He did not say whether he planned to comply with the subpoena.
“Look, my view on the committee has not changed,” he said, according to the Capitol Hill press pool. “They’re not conducting a legitimate investigation. It seems as though they just want to go after their political opponents”
House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer, of Maryland, said the action was not an escalation of the committee’s investigation and didn’t warrant the objections from Republicans.
“I do not understand this extraordinary reaction to pursuing a legal, appropriate process,” he said.
The committee accused Biggs, Jordan, Perry and Brooks of being involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. The Jan. 6 attack was spurred by a weeks-long campaign by Trump to nullify Joe Biden’s victory over the sitting president, based on the false claim that the election was illegitimate.
Biggs helped plan efforts to bring protestors to Washington for the counting of the Electoral College vote and was involved in attempts to pressure state officials to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Jordan communicated with Trump on the day of the attack and had meetings “throughout late 2020 and early 2021 about strategies for overturning the 2020 election,” the committee said.
Perry was directly involved with efforts to install Jeffrey Clark as the acting attorney general. Clark was thought to be willing to use the Justice Department to challenge the election results.
Then-Attorney General William Barr resigned in December 2020 rather than take orders from Trump to investigate phony claims of voter fraud. His successor, acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, also declined to investigate those claims, leading Trump loyalists to push for Clark to take over the department.
Perry also talked with the White House about other matters the committee is investigating, including allegations of voter fraud involving voting machines.
The panel’s interest in McCarthy appears focused on his role as a direct contact with Trump during the attack. The Republican leader communicated with Trump and White House staff before, during and immediately after the attack, according to the committee release.
Representatives for Biggs, Jordan and Perry did not return messages seeking comment Thursday.
After this story was published, Biggs issued a statement on Twitter, calling the committee “illegitimate” and saying the subpoena is “pure political theater.”
Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.
***UPDATED: This story was updated to include Andy Biggs’ comments on Twitter.
This article appears in May 12-18, 2022.
OK, just so were straight:
Earth’s climate is going to hell;
The world is on the brink of another world war — which might go nuclear;
The global pandemic is still very much a thing;
North Korea is testing intercontinental ballistic missile prototypes;
Immigration surges are circling the planet from both man-made and natural disasters;
Supply chain and energy issues created by short-sighted corporation have these same corporations gaining record profits, while gouging consumers;
And for the past couple decades all our elected so-called representatives can do is play non-stop political games of one-upmanship, while still collecting millions in salaries and benefits?
You know, a few years back when the government shut down, we should have locked the doors, fired everyone and started with new elections, telling past “representatives” to no longer apply.
We frequently hear sticklers correct people who call the United States a “democracy” and point out that we are a Representative Republic. Fair enough, but if the representatives are spending more time engaged in activities designed to “own” the other side, who is representing the interests of the people?
“We the people are the rightful masters of the Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who would pervert the Constitution.” Abraham Lincoln
The earth’s climate is not going to hell. The politicians that are lying to you are.
Everything else has happened under the watchful (ha ha ha) eye of Heir Joseph P Biden the angriest man in DC. Has had made Donald Trump look like a genius.
Just let us know when you have had enough.
@sgsmith ask your self, self “if we own the country how could they not be doing OUR business?”
Simple answer, and now easiest to believe is ELECTION FRAUD. We must reduce their ability to cheat. And then annual audits on ALL finances. The prisons are empty. Let’s fill them up.