Kevin McCarthy and four other GOP lawmakers were subpoenaed by the committee investigating the Capitol riot.
It was the first time that the bipartisan investigation issued subpoenas to sitting members of Congress. Less than a month before the House committee planned to start a series of public hearings, the dramatic step came.
Along with McCarthy, the other Republican House members are Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, and Scott Perry.
The Republicans had previously refused to cooperate with the investigation.
Several of our colleagues have information relevant to our investigation into the attack on January 6th and the events leading up to it, said the committee's chairman.
We wanted to give members the chance to discuss these matters with the committee. The individuals receiving subpoenas today have refused and we have to take this step to make sure the committee gets the facts.
The bipartisan select committee is investigating the events of January 6, 2021, when a mob of Trump supporters broke through police lines and entered the Capitol building. Congress was temporarily stopped from voting on President Joe Biden's Electoral College victory because of the riot.
The House minority leader, who hopes to become speaker of the House, refused to give information to the committee.
According to audio tapes leaked last month, McCarthy was recorded telling Republicans that he would ask Trump to resign as president and that he was worried that comments made by his GOP colleagues could lead to more violence.
McCarthy was in contact with President Trump before, during, and after the attack on January 6th, according to the press release.
The panel said that McCarthy spoke with White House staff during the attack and discussed the Capitol with them before and after the riot.
According to the press release, McCarthy claimed to have had a discussion with the President in the immediate aftermath of the attack.
According to the committee,Perry was involved with efforts to corrupt the Department of Justice and install Jeffrey Clark, a DOJ official at the time, as acting Attorney General in January 2021.
According to the press release, the Select Committee had communications with the White House about a number of matters related to the investigation.
The committee noted that Jordan had been in contact with Trump on January 6 and that he had participated in a series of meetings about how to overturn the election.
Less than two weeks before issuing the latest subpoenas, the committee sent letters to three people asking for their cooperation. The investigators wanted to know if he was involved in planning the events that led to the riot, and if Trump asked him to withdraw from the 2020 elections.
All three refused. If the subpoena came, he would fight it.
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