Democrat chair of January 6 committee wants phone and text messages of Republican members of Congress and Trump associates in their Capitol riot probe
The Democratic chairman of the committee investigating the January 6th MAGA riot in the Capitol revealed on Monday he'll seek phone records from several hundred people, including Republican members of Congress, as part of the probe.
Rep. Bennie Thompson declined to identify which lawmakers would be sought but told reporters on Capitol Hill his committee is reaching out to tech and communications companies as well as social media platforms for hundreds of records from that day.
'We have quite an exhaustive list of people. I won't tell you who they are, but it's several hundred people that make up the list of people we are planning to contact,' he said when asked if the list included family members of former President Donald Trump.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, chair of the committee investigating the January 6th riot in the Capitol, said he was ready to subpoena records from Republican lawmakers
He confirmed it also includes some Republican lawmakers.
While it's unclear which lawmakers are on Thompson's list, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican Rep. Jim Jordan both have said they spoke to then-President Trump that day.
Other Republican lawmakers could also face the congressional subpoena. Two Democratic lawmakers claim they saw Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado with a 'large' group of people in a tunnel connected to the Capitol days before the January 6th riot.
Boebert said she had taken family members for a tour.
Additionally, footage from the January 6 riot showed a close ally of Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on the Capitol grounds.
Anthony Aguero, a conservative activist and associate of Greene, was also seen in the building.
Greene and Aguero worked closely together over the years on causes such as immigration and the U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Democrats have also accused some of their Republican colleagues of interacting with individuals who stormed the Capitol prior on January 6th in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden's presidential victory. The ensuing violence left five people dead and a trail of destruction in the historic building.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Jim Jordan have said they talked to Donald Trump on the day of the MAGA riot
The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol held its first hearing on July 27th where law enforcement officers testified on their experiences that day.
Much of the panel's work has been behind closed doors but staff were expected to use the August congressional recess to prepare subpoenas for the next stage of the investigation.