House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy took aim at members of Democratic leadership on Tuesday, saying they are coercing telecommunications companies into assisting in their investigation of the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
The California Republican accused members of the Democratic-led House Select Committee on Jan. 6 of pursuing a “surveillance state” and threatened any companies who accede to possible subpoenas for access to the communications of Republican lawmakers.
A story published Monday reported that the Jan 6 committee asked telecommunications companies to preserve records from several Republican lawmakers involved in the “Stop the Steal” rally ahead of the Capitol riot.
These lawmakers include Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Jody Hice of Georgia, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, according to CNN.
REPUBLICANS TARGETED BY JAN. 6 COMMITTEE WARN OF ANOTHER ‘WITCH HUNT’
“Adam Schiff, [Select Committee Chairman] Bennie Thompson, and Nancy Pelosi’s attempts to strong-arm private companies to turn over individuals’ private data would put every American with a phone or computer in the crosshairs of a surveillance state run by Democrat politicians,” McCarthy said in a statement Tuesday.
“If these companies comply with the Democrat order to turn over private information, they are in violation of federal law and subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States,” he continued. “If they pursue this path, a Republican majority will not forget and will be ready to hold them fully accountable under the law.”
The lawmakers mentioned in the report preceded McCarthy with rebukes of their own.
“#Socialists & ‘Pelosi Republicans’ (Cheney & Kinzinger) seek my phone records?” Brooks wrote on Twitter, calling the move “Russian Collusion Hoax 2.0” and asserting that anyone who examines his records would be bored.
“This committee is following the same witch hunt playbook the Democrats used against President Trump,” Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told the Washington Examiner in a statement.
The Select Committee addressed McCarthy’s criticism Tuesday without denying a request to companies to preserve records.
“The Select Committee is investigating the violent attack on the Capitol and attempt to overturn the results of last year’s election. We’ve asked companies not to destroy records that may help answer questions for the American people,” the committee tweeted. “The committee’s efforts won’t be deterred by those who want to whitewash or cover up the events of January 6th, or obstruct our investigation.”
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The committee has already written a host of social media and communications companies — including major industry players Facebook, Google, and Reddit, as well as less conspicuous ones — in demand of records relating to the Jan. 6 riot. Thompson put a two-week deadline on the committee’s requests, dated Aug. 26.
