Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat on the House select committee investigating the assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, stated on Sunday that he would like former Vice President Mike Pence, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and conservative activist Ginny Thomas to appear voluntarily before the panel.
Raskin claimed in an appearance with “Face the Nation” that the panel is interested in interviewing with “anyone with relevant evidence” regarding the 2020 presidential election campaign to affect the outcome.
Regarding Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, he commented, “I do not wish to exaggerate her impact.” “We have spoken with over a thousand people. Nonetheless, we would like to hear from both Gingrich and her.”
The select committee, which had eight public hearings throughout the summer, formally requested Gingrich to appear for a voluntary interview last week, citing emails he reportedly exchanged with former President Donald Trump’s top advisors, including Jared Kushner and Jason Miller.
Ginni Thomas also emailed at least two Wisconsin Republican legislators days after the presidential election, pushing them to appoint an alternate slate of electors to back Trump.
After learning that Thomas corresponded with John Eastman, a conservative attorney who assisted in developing the legal strategy to encourage Pence to unilaterally toss out state electoral votes, the committee recommended that Thomas voluntarily appear before the panel. In addition, committee members said that they could consider issuing Thomas a subpoena for her testimony.
Raskin claimed on Sunday that Thomas possesses significant material for the committee and that “she should volunteer it.”
The panel has also explored inviting Pence to come before it voluntarily, and the former vice president acknowledged last month that he would “consider” such an invitation.
Raskin indicated that, like Thomas, he believes Pence has information significant to the investigation and hopes he will testify voluntarily.
“On January 6, Vice President Pence was the target of Donald Trump’s anger and attempt to destabilize the election. The purpose was to get Pence to deviate from his constitutional viewpoint and subsequently to declare unilateral illegal authority to reject state Electoral College ballots “He asserted.
Raskin noted that the committee is seeking to have all witnesses testify willingly, but that “subpoenas are not ruled out in any circumstance.” The Maryland Democrat indicated, though, that he expects Pence to testify freely, “like the vast majority of Americans have done.”
The committee has continued to conduct witness interviews throughout the summer and is expected to hold additional hearings in the fall and provide its final report by the end of the year.
Raskin noted that a component of the investigation will examine the money raised from donors under the premise of opposing President Biden’s election victory, however it is unclear whether this will be the subject of future hearings.
“That was a significant degree, a significant component of everything that was taking place,” he continued, referring to the funding behind the unsubstantiated claim that Trump’s election was stolen. This operation was directed by Donald Trump.