Kevin McCarthy says he won't cooperate with Jan. 6 committee
![Kevin McCarthy.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KYsxhKTkTh83Pwo7dLS7fE-415-80.jpg)
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is refusing to sit for an interview with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, saying on Wednesday night he won't participate in an "abuse of power that stains this institution today and will harm it going forward."
The committee's chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), sent a letter to the top House Republican earlier Wednesday, asking him to share information on the conversations he had with former President Donald Trump "before, during, and after" the attack. Additionally, the panel requested information on McCarthy's communications with former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows in the wake of the riot.
Thompson proposed that McCarthy meet with the bipartisan committee on Feb. 3 or 4, and wrote that the panel's members have "tremendous respect for the prerogatives of Congress and the privacy of its members. At the same time, we have a solemn responsibility to investigate fully the facts and circumstances of these events."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Last year, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) said McCarthy told her he asked Trump to "call off the riot," and stated it was clear the Capitol was stormed by Trump supporters, not antifa members. Immediately after the Jan. 6 riot, McCarthy said publicly that Trump "bears responsibility," but he has since shied away from openly criticizing Trump about the attack and his baseless claims of election fraud.
While McCarthy and Trump allies Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), and Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) have said they won't meet with the panel voluntarily, the committee has interviewed nearly 350 people and collected 35,000 pages of documents, The Associated Press reports. In December, Thompson told AP roughly 90 percent of witnesses subpoenaed by the committee have cooperated.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
The lab-made meat that 'could kill the EU'
Under The Radar Concerned at 'unintended consequences for farming' some farmers are 'turning rabid' over the rise of cultured meat
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is China stockpiling resources?
The Explainer The superpower has been amassing huge reserves of commodities at great cost despite its economic downturn
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
The GOP is Donald Trump Jr.'s party now
In The Spotlight The former president's gun-loving, live-streaming adult son has emerged as more than just his father's namesake — he's become a Republican powerhouse of his own
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
For God and country: is religion in politics making a comeback?
Talking Point There are many MPs of faith in the new Labour government despite it being the most openly secular House of Commons in history
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The attack on Donald Trump
Opinion We've seen this kind of shooter before
By Susan Caskie Published
-
74 things Donald Trump has said about women
Feature The former president has a long history of controversial remarks about the opposite sex
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
DHS opens review of Trump assassination attempt
Speed Read An independent panel will investigate the Secret Service's handling of the shooting
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Can Kamala Harris beat Trump?
Today's Big Question Some senior Democrats are unsure the vice-president can win in November even as party closes ranks behind her
By The Week UK Published