Enough is enough already.
Following the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot subpoenaed five House Republicans, including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, lawmakers have been measured when speaking out against the move.
On Thursday (May 12), the Jan. 6 panel sent subpoenas to McCarthy in addition to Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Mo Brooks (R-Ala.). The lawmakers, who had previously labeled the committee’s investigation a partisan witch hunt, were not as emboldened after Thursday’s revelation with McCarthy failing to reveal whether he’d reject the entreaty.
When asked about the subpoenas on Thursday, McCarthy told a group of reporters, “have not seen the subpoena. I guess they sent it to you guys before they sent it to me,” but held fast to his views on the committee, saying, “My view on the committee has not changed. They’re not conducting a legitimate investigation.”
However, McCarthy and his four Republican colleagues are in a sticky predicament. Complying with the subpoenas would give credence to an investigation they have labeled “illegitimate,” but a refusal could see them held in contempt of Congress, which could lead to the group being handed to the Department of Justice, the same kind of treatment the committee dished out to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon.
Instead, in the meantime, the group has decided to tread carefully when revealing whether they will comply. Instead, the lawmakers are sticking to the narrative that the investigation is politically motivated.
Perry told reporters, “The fact that they sent it to the press before they sent it to the members – It’s just proof it’s all about headlines. This whole thing’s a charade.”
