Democrat-allied Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) on Wednesday reportedly said she may subpoena House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). This comes after McCarthy communicated he would not cooperate with the January 6 Committee.
“I wish that he were a brave and honorable man. He’s clearly trying to cover up what happened. He has an obligation to come forward, and we’ll get to the truth,” Cheney told CNN.
Cheney’s comments came on the day McCarthy announced in a letter he would not participate in the select committee’s “abuse of power that stains” the House “and will harm it going forward.” Breitbart News reported McCarthy’s letter explaining his refusal and detailing the committee’s abuses of power:
This committee is not conducting a legitimate investigation as Speaker Pelosi took the unprecedented action of rejecting the Republican members I named to serve on the committee. It is not serving any legislative purpose. The committee’s only objective is to attempt to damage its political opponents – acting like the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee one day and the DOJ the next.
The committee has demanded testimony from staffers who applied for First Amendment permits. It has subpoenaed the call records of private citizens and their financial records from banks while demanding secrecy not supported by law. It has lied about the contents of documents it has received. It has held individuals in contempt of Congress for exercising their Constitutional right to avail themselves of judicial proceedings. And now it wants to interview me about public statements that have been shared with the world, and private conversations not remotely related to the violence that unfolded at the Capitol. I have nothing else to add.
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.
McCarthy received a letter Wednesday from the select committee requesting he answer questions about his communications with Donald Trump in relation to the events of January 6.
If the Democrats subpoena McCarthy to testify in front of the committee, it would be unprecedented and an “unheard of breach of etiquette by party leaders,” although within House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) authority, Punchbowl News reported.
“It’s fair to say that the Jan. 6 insurrection was an unprecedented event warranting an unprecedented response. Yet a subpoena for McCarthy could backfire on Democrats down the road,” the publication wrote. “They will be setting a precedent that may come into play if Republicans are in charge of the House come 2023. McCarthy allies are already talking about payback.”
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.