Former House Republicans urge GOP lawmakers to comply with Jan. 6 subpoenas

Twenty-one former House Republican lawmakers are urging the five current GOP lawmakers subpoenaed by the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot to comply with the panel’s demands.

“We believe our country is at a pivotal moment. In the wake of the January 6th, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, current Members bear a responsibility to do all they can to secure our institutions. As part of that duty, we write to urge you to cooperate with the House Select Committee investigating the attack,” the former lawmakers wrote.

The letter is addressed to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Reps. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), all of whom were served subpoenas by the committee earlier this month after they bucked voluntary invitations to speak with investigators.

It comes from a group of lawmakers that served from as early as the 1970s up to 2017, but largely includes Republicans that served in Congress well before the Trump era. 

“We recognize it is rare for a congressional investigative body to subpoena sitting lawmakers. We also recognize that the subject of this inquiry is unprecedented in American history,” they wrote.

“We understand you may have concerns about this exercise of the Committee’s subpoena power. Indeed, under most circumstances, we would strongly counsel against compelling the testimony of sitting members of Congress. But the exceptional nature of this circumstance is clear.”

The letter comes as the five lawmakers face staggered deadlines for compliance with the committee’s subpoenas, the latest of which are scheduled for May 31.

The correspondence was first reported by Politico.