On Wednesday, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) became a person of interest in the wide-range investigation into the January 6 attack on the US Capitol after the House Select Committee formally asked him to speak with them about what happened that day.
The request came via an official letter citing several previous comments made by McCarthy following the riot, including interviews where he discussed his conversations with Trump as the violence unfolded, CNN reported.
“We also must learn about how the President’s plans for January 6th came together, and all the other ways he attempted to alter the results of the election,” wrote committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS). “For example, in advance of January 6th, you reportedly explained to Mark Meadows and the former President that objections to the certification of the electoral votes on January 6th ‘was doomed to fail.’ ”
The panel also makes clear it wants to question McCarthy about his communications with Trump, White House staff and others in the week after the January 6 attack, “particularly regarding President Trump’s state of mind at that time.”
“The Select Committee has contemporaneous text messages from multiple witnesses identifying significant concerns following January 6th held by White House staff and the President’s supporters regarding President Trump’s state of mind and his ongoing conduct. It appears that you had one or more conversations with the President during this period,” the letter says.
“It appears that you may also have discussed with President Trump the potential he would face a censure resolution, impeachment, or removal under the 25th Amendment. It also appears that you may have identified other possible options, including President Trump’s immediate resignation from office,” it adds, according to CNN.
The request marks a significant moment in the ongoing investigation and comes after the panel issued subpoenas to former advisers to Donald Trump Jr. — Andrew Surabian and Arthur Schwartz — and an adviser to former President Donald Trump, Ross Worthington, who wrote the speech Trump delivered on Jan. 6, 2021.
