Top House Republican gets subpoena from U.S. Capitol riot panel

The committee is trying to establish what Trump did while thousands of his supporters attacked police, vandalized the Capitol and sent members of Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence running for their lives. Representative Bennie Thompson, a Democrat and Select Committee chairman, said in a press release that the five House Republicans who received subpoenas have information about events leading up to the attack.


Reuters | Updated: 13-05-2022 00:22 IST | Created: 13-05-2022 00:22 IST
Top House Republican gets subpoena from U.S. Capitol riot panel

Congressman Kevin McCarthy, the top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, and four other lawmakers received subpoenas on Thursday from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters. The Jan. 6 House Select Committee issued the subpoenas to try to secure the lawmakers' testimony after they had rejected voluntary cooperation with the investigation.

McCarthy on Thursday told reporters that the committee's investigation is "illegitimate" but did not answer questions about whether he would comply with the subpoena. In January, McCarthy said in a statement that he would not cooperate with the committee's investigation.

"As a representative and the leader of the minority party, it is with neither regret nor satisfaction that I have concluded to not participate with this select committee's abuse of power that stains this institution today and will harm it going forward," McCarthy's statement said. The other Republican lawmakers receiving subpoenas were Representatives Jim Jordan, Mo Brooks, Scott Perry and Andy Biggs.

"This whole thing is a charade," Perry said of the subpoenas. Representatives of Brooks, Jordan and Biggs did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

On Jan. 6, 2021, supporters of Republican Trump stormed the Capitol building, encouraged by the then-president in a speech outside the White House to protest formal congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden's victory over him in the November 2020 election. The committee is trying to establish what Trump did while thousands of his supporters attacked police, vandalized the Capitol and sent members of Congress and then-Vice President Mike Pence running for their lives.

Representative Bennie Thompson, a Democrat and Select Committee chairman, said in a press release that the five House Republicans who received subpoenas have information about events leading up to the attack. "Before we hold our hearings next month, we wished to provide members the opportunity to discuss these matters with the committee voluntarily," Thompson said. "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."

McCarthy, who has faced criticism from fellow conservatives within his caucus, publicly zigzagged on Trump's culpability by first saying the former president bore some responsibility for the violence - but finally visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort home in Florida and posed for a photograph with him.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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