January 6th Committee Subpoenas Kevin McCarthy, 4 Other GOP Lawmakers

The January 6th Committee has subpoenaed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and four other GOP lawmakers for their testimony about the siege on the Capitol.

Also issued subpoenas were Scott Perry, Jim Jordan, Andy Biggs and Mo Brooks.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the chairman of the committee, said that the five congressman have so far refused to voluntarily testify.

“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,” he said. The letter to McCarthy is here.

McCarthy was in communication with then-President Donald Trump before, during and after the siege, the committee noted. 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.”

The committee is planning to start a series of public hearings on June 9, expanding the profile of its investigation. If Republicans would regain control of the House in the midterms, and McCarthy becomes the next speaker, there is expectation that the committee would be dissolved. So there also has been a bit of a time crunch for members and staff to wrap up the investigation this year.

The committee has not said what it will do if the lawmakers do not comply. But it has referred contempt charges against Steve Bannon and Mark Meadows to the House, which then voted to send the recommendation to the Justice Department. The committee also referred contempt charges against two other former Trump aides, Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro.