Three Trump-Allied Lawmakers Asked to Testify on Capitol Riot

(Bloomberg) -- The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob on Monday asked three additional Republican congressmen to testify about what they knew regarding events leading up to the riot -- and in one case efforts by lawmakers to obtain pardons.

Representatives Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Ronny Jackson of Texas were sent letters Monday from Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson seeking their cooperation.

They have not been subpoenaed. So far, the committee has declined to issue subpoenas to fellow members of Congress, which likely would result in extended legal confrontations.

“We urge our colleagues to join the hundreds of individuals who have shared information with the Select Committee to get to the bottom of what happened on Jan. 6th,” Thompson and Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican and vice chair of the committee, said in a statement.

Brooks, who is running for a Senate seat, said in a March television interview that former President Donald Trump had asked him to “rescind the 2020 elections,” remove Joe Biden from the White House, and help reinstall him to the White House.

That remark came after Trump had revoked his endorsement of Brooks' Senate candidacy. Brooks has denied he had a role in organizing the rally on Jan. 6 that immediately preceded the riot and has said in the past he might testify if asked.

On Monday night, he said he would refuse the invitation.

“I've already given numerous sworn affidavits and public statements about Jan. 6,” Brooks said in a statement. “At this moment in time, right before an Alabama U.S. Senate election, if they want to talk, they're gonna have to send me a subpoena, which I will fight.”

Earlier: House Jan. 6 Panel Plans Eight Hearings on Capitol Riot

Biggs, a former chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is among several lawmakers who had had discussions or communications with Trump's last chief of staff, Mark Meadows, about ways to overturn the election, according to testimony also given to the committee.

The committee, in its letter to Biggs, said it was looking for information on that as well as possible efforts by some House Republicans to obtain a pardon from Trump before he left office for activities related to overturning the election.

“Your name was identified as a potential participant in that effort,” the committee wrote. “We would like to understand all the details of the request for a pardon, more specific reasons why a pardon was sought, and the scope of the proposed pardon.”

Biggs, in a statement, rejected the request and derided the investigation.

“The committee has been a sham since its origins,” Biggs said. “Its entire purpose is to destroy President Trump and his supporters, intimidate members of Congress, and distract Americans from real issues that are destroying this country.”

Jackson -- who was a doctor in the Trump White House before being elected to Congress from a Texas district -- has come under scrutiny because of reports that members of the far-right Oath Keepers exchanged messages about his safety during the attack on the Capitol. The messages, revealed in a court filing in April, included one that alleged Jackson needed protection by the group because he had “critical data to protect.”

Jackson issued a statement saying he doesn't know the people who exchanged texts about him that day and called the committee probe “illegitimate” and a “witch hunt.”

“For these reasons, I will not participate in the illegitimate committee's ruthless crusade against President Trump and his allies,” he said.

Other House Republican lawmakers have previously declined invitations to appear before the committee, including Republican leader Kevin McCarthy.

Thompson said last week that the committee would be issuing new invitations this week to McCarthy, Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, and possibly others.

Thompson says the panel expects to wind up its mostly closed-door witness interviews as it heads into eight planned hearings in June, and a final report of its findings in early fall. The committee says it has spoken to about 800 people.