Former GOP Lawmakers Urge Successors to Comply With Jan. 6 Subpoenas

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022. The House is preparing to move forward on a China competitiveness bill that would authorize billions of dollars in funding to bolster U.S. research and development as well as aid for the domestic semiconductor industry. , Bloomberg

Billy House, Bloomberg News

May 26, 2022

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(Bloomberg) -- Twenty-one former GOP members of Congress want House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and four colleagues to cooperate with subpoenas received from the congressional committee looking into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

In a letter posted Thursday on Medium, the group acknowledges it is rare for a congressional investigative body to subpoena sitting lawmakers. But, their letter states, “The best way to ensure a full and fair accounting of what happened before and on Jan. 6th is for you to provide your understanding of the events and to explain it to the American people.”

Those signing mostly served in the House prior to President Donald Trump’s presidency, a couple dating to the administrations of Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Former GOP Representatives Jim Kolbe of Arizona, Connie Morella of Maryland, and Christopher Shays of Connecticut are among them.

Along with McCarthy, the letter is addressed to GOP Representatives Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Jim Jordan of Ohio and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. Jordan has already signaled a legal fight on his part.

 

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