Rep. McCarthy Resorts to Intimidation as Jan. 6 Panel Continues to Probe [Video]

After the House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6th insurrection requested telecom and social media firms to preserve records that might be relevant to the inquiry, House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) threatened legal action against the companies abiding by the panel’s instructions. Buoyed by the minority leader’s pugnaciousness, Donald Trump denounced the committee as a liberal sham and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) promised to shut down any telecom businesses the comply, according to reports on Sept. 6, 2021.

McCarthy contends Trump was cleared of inciting the Capitol riot, threatening to sabotage the select committee’s inquiry. It seems as though the minority leader might not be too certain since some of the data the Jan. 6th investigation sought belongs to hundreds of people connected to the attack including McCarthy, Trump, Greene, and other far-right House Republicans they believe helped perpetuate the big lie — the election was stolen.

House Select Committee Chair Bennie Thompson recently demanded an assortment of Trump’s executive branch records related to the insurrection.

The panel claims they are simply “gathering facts, not alleging wrongdoing by any individual.” However, these are the committee’s most aggressive moves yet.

Threats and intimidation are the latest tactics of McCarthy’s. A statement he made when warning the telecom companies not to cooperate included a veiled threat about what might happen when Republicans gain the house majority. Greene used the same veiled threat when she told the telecom not to meet the select committee’s requests.

Written by Cathy Milne-Ware

Sources:

Insider: Jan. 6 committee leaders Thompson, Cheney blast Kevin McCarthy’s claims that Trump had ‘no involvement’ in the riot as ‘baseless;’ by John L. Dorman
The Washington Post: Opinion: Kevin McCarthy’s downward spiral
Newsweek: GOP Strategist Says Kevin McCarthy ‘Scared of the Facts’ on 1/6 After He Threatens Telcos; by Xander Landen

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Blink O’fanaye’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License