1/6 panel requests interview from GOP leader Kevin McCarthy

WASHINGTON – The House sheet investigating the U.S. Capitol insurrection requested an interrogation and records from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy connected Wednesday, arsenic it continues to question first-hand details from members of Congress connected erstwhile President Donald Trump’s actions connected the time hundreds of his supporters brutally bushed police, stormed the gathering and interrupted the certification of the 2020 election.

Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, Democratic president of the panel, requested that McCarthy, R-Calif., supply accusation to the nine-member sheet regarding his conversations with Trump “before, during and after” the riot. The petition besides seeks accusation astir McCarthy’s communications with erstwhile White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows successful the days earlier the attack.

“We besides indispensable larn astir however the President’s plans for January 6th came together, and each the different ways helium attempted to change the results of the election," Thompson said successful the letter. "For example, successful beforehand of January 6th, you reportedly explained to Mark Meadows and the erstwhile President that objections to the certification of the electoral votes connected January 6th ‘was doomed to fail.’”

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But it remains unclear whether the sheet volition beryllium capable to summation grounds from McCarthy oregon immoderate different legislature allies of Trump. While the committee has considered subpoenaing chap lawmakers, that would beryllium an bonzer determination and could tally up against ineligible and governmental challenges.

Lawmakers are seeking a model into Trump’s authorities of caput from an state who has acknowledged repeated interactions with the then-president. The committee besides wants to question McCarthy astir communications with Trump and White House unit successful the week aft the violence, including a speech with Trump that was reportedly heated.

The committee acknowledged the delicate and antithetic quality of its petition arsenic it projected a gathering with McCarthy connected either Feb. 3 oregon 4. “The Select Committee has tremendous respect for the prerogatives of Congress and the privateness of its Members,” Thompson wrote. “At the aforesaid time, we person a solemn work to analyse afloat the facts and circumstances of these events.

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A petition for remark from McCarthy's bureau was not instantly returned.

Democrats person been seeking much accusation astir McCarthy’s telephone with Trump that time since the erstwhile president’s 2nd impeachment proceedings successful the days aft the riot. At 1 constituent successful the trial, Democrats said they would effort and telephone Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., arsenic a witnesser due to the fact that she had described the telephone betwixt the 2 men aft proceeding an relationship from McCarthy. In the end, Democrats work a connection from Herrera Beutler into the record. Trump, who had conscionable near office, was acquitted by the Senate.

Herrera Beutler’s connection said McCarthy told her helium had asked Trump to publically “call disconnected the riot” and had said the convulsive mob was made up of Trump supporters, not far-left antifa members.

She said successful the statement, “That’s when, according to McCarthy, the president said, ‘Well, Kevin, I conjecture these radical are much upset astir the predetermination than you are.’”

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McCarthy had initially criticized Trump’s actions aft the 2020 election, saying helium “bears responsibility” for the deadly Jan. 6 attack, which remains the astir superior home battle connected the gathering successful its history.

“The saddest time I person ever had” successful Congress, McCarthy said the nighttime of the attack, adjacent arsenic helium went connected to articulation 138 different House Republicans successful voting to overturn Joe Biden’s win.

The latest petition from the sheet besides puts McCarthy face-to-face with its vice-chair, Rep. Liz Cheney, whom helium dumped from the No. 3 House enactment presumption past summertime arsenic her precise nationalist disapproval of Trump's lies astir his 2020 predetermination nonaccomplishment reverberated done the Republican Party.

The GOP person had counseled Cheney to enactment connected message, but arsenic she continued to pass the enactment disconnected Trump’s falsehoods, McCarthy groomed a recently transformed Trump acolyte, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., arsenic her replacement.

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McCarthy is the 3rd subordinate of Congress the committee has reached retired to for voluntary information. In the past fewer weeks, GOP Reps. Jim Jordan and Scott Perry were besides contacted by the sheet but person denied the requests to beryllium down with lawmakers oregon supply documents.

The panel, comprised of 7 Democrats and 2 Republicans, has interviewed astir 350 radical and issued nationalist subpoenas to astir 50 radical and organizations arsenic it seeks to make a broad grounds of the Jan. 6 onslaught and the events starring up to it.

On Wednesday, erstwhile White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany spoke to the sheet virtually, according to a idiosyncratic acquainted with the interrogation who requested anonymity to sermon it. The committee subpoenaed McEnany successful November.

The committee says the bonzer trove of worldly it has collected — 35,000 pages of records truthful far, including texts, emails and telephone records from radical adjacent to Trump — is fleshing retired captious details of the worst onslaught connected the Capitol successful 2 centuries, which played retired connected unrecorded television.

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Thompson told The Associated Press successful an interrogation past period that astir 90% of the witnesses subpoenaed by the committee person cooperated contempt the defiance of high-profile Trump allies similar Meadows and Steve Bannon. Lawmakers said they person been effectual astatine gathering accusation from different sources successful portion due to the fact that they stock a unity of intent seldom seen successful a legislature investigation.

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Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

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