The select House committee investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol is wasting no time getting to the task set before them and is expected to start issuing a “significant amount” of subpoenas, according to one member of the panel.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) is one of two Republicans on the committee, along with Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, and he said Sunday that he fully expects the committee will compel “a lot of people” to testify, adding:
“I would expect to see a significant amount of subpoenas. It’s going to be a thorough investigation for sure.”
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” the Illinois Republican noted that “We want to do this expeditiously. … What led up to it, what really happened and what happened in the aftermath.”
Politico reports that Kinzinger also hinted at who he expects will be subpoenaed by the committee:
“On the potential for subpoenaing prominent Republicans including former President Donald Trump and those who spoke to him on Jan. 6, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Kinzinger said: ‘I would support subpoenas to anyone that can shed light on that. If that’s the leader, that’s the leader.
“‘I want to know what the president was doing every moment that day. … I want to know if the National Guard took five or six hours to get to Capitol Hill. Did the president make calls? If he didn’t, why?’ Kinzinger said.”
But what might happen if someone refuses to comply with a subpoena? Kinzinger was asked. He replied that would be a matter for attorneys working for the select committee, noting:
“If anybody is scared of this investigation, I ask you, what are you afraid of? If you think it wasn’t a big deal, you should allow this to go forward. We may not have to talk to Donald Trump. … If he has unique information that’s one thing. There’s a lot of people around him that know something.”
Kinzinger was also asked what he thought about remarks made by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is to blame for what transpired on Jan. 6. To that query, he replied:
“To me it’s mind-blowing and shows the desperation to derail this. The speaker and I don’t get along on a lot of things. On this, we do. Blaming what happened on Jan. 6 on the security posture, that’s like blaming someone for being a victim of crime.”
Kinzinger and others on the committee do indeed need to press for testimony from anyone who played even the smallest role in the Capitol insurrection. Those that try to refuse a subpoena clearly have something to hide and should be charged with contempt of Congress. If they still refuse, they should be censured and threatened with expulsion from Congress.
Here’s the video from ABC News:
