House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said he will not cooperate with the Jan. 6 committee’s request for an interview about his interactions with Donald Trump as a mob stormed the Capitol.
The committee Chair Rep. Bennie Thompson said in a letter on Wednesday that the panel wants to know about the details of a phone call McCarthy had with Trump on Jan. 6, in which Trump allegedly told the minority leader that the people storming the Capitol cares more about the election than he did.
“You have acknowledged speaking directly with the former President while the violence was underway on Jan. 6. … Further, you shared an account of your communications with President Trump with a local news outlet in your district, which reported that you had a ‘very heated conversation’ with the President as the riot was taking place, and urged the President to ‘get help’ to the Capitol,” Rep. Thompson wrote in the letter to McCarthy. “As is readily apparent, all of this information bears directly on President Trump’s state of mind during the January 6th attack as the violence was underway.”
The committee asked him to voluntary testify by February 3rd. However, in a letter Wednesday evening McCarthy said he will not cooperate with the investigation calling it “illegitimate.”
“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,” he said.
McCarthy is the third GOP lawmaker to refuse to cooperate with the committee’s request for a voluntary interview. The others, Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Scott Perry (R-Pa.), both close allies of the former president and played major roles in trying to overturn the election in Congress, have also rejected the committee’s request.
Thompson told reporters on Wednesday that the committee will consider issuing a subpoena to McCarthy to ensure he comply, according to Politico.
