The Republican nominee in the Pennsylvania governor’s race has handed over limited materials to the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, relying on a carve-out for certain documents that could set up a political showdown.
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, handed over subpoenaed materials, including documents about his efforts to schedule buses and other transportation to carry Trump supporters to the nation’s capital on Jan. 6. But most of the documents were publicly accessible social media posts, and he ignored requests for communications related to the state lawmaker’s efforts to overturn the election results because the subpoena provided exceptions for materials related to his capacity as a state lawmaker.
2020 ELECTION SKEPTIC DOUG MASTRIANO WINS PENNSYLVANIA GOP GUBERNATORIAL NOD
“Sen. Mastriano has nothing to hide and has provided all responsive documents and will be sitting for a voluntary interview as the committee has agreed to forgo a formal deposition for him,” Tim Parlatore, a lawyer representing Mastriano, told Politico.
The Jan. 6 committee issued the subpoena in mid-February, noting Mastriano had been in regular communication with Trump in the weeks following the election and was outside the Capitol building during the Jan. 6 attack. However, it remained unclear until this week whether the gubernatorial hopeful had complied with the request.
The subpoena produced somewhat unusual materials because the select committee exempted Mastriano from sending documents related to his business as a state senator. As a result, most of the materials Mastriano turned over were public social media posts.
Some documents obtained by the committee included letters Mastriano sent to top lawmakers and the Department of Justice to join efforts to overturn the election, as well as his suggestions to send alternate electors to Washington, D.C., as the Electoral College certified the election. Mastriano shared the letters on Twitter at the time, and he included the links in the documents shared with the committee.
Mastriano won Pennsylvania’s GOP gubernatorial nomination in May despite a last-ditch effort by some state Republicans to coalesce the field around a different candidate they felt would fare better. The Trump-endorsed candidate concerned some state Republicans who worried Mastriano would hurt the party’s chances of winning not only the governor’s mansion but also the Senate race and some congressional contests.
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Mastriano also agreed to sit for an interview with the committee, although it’s not clear when. Investigators with the Jan. 6 committee are set to hold multiple public hearings over the next month.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Mastriano’s lawyers for comment but did not receive a response.
