Jan. 6 Panel Seeks Interview With Jim Jordan, a Close Trump Ally

WASHINGTON — The House committee investigating the Capitol onslaught asked Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio connected Wednesday to beryllium for an interrogation with its investigators, successful the latest measurement the sheet has taken to excavation into the relation that members of Congress played successful trying to undermine the 2020 election.

The committee’s letter to Mr. Jordan, an state of erstwhile President Donald J. Trump, says that investigators privation to question him astir his communications related to the run-up to the Capitol riot. Those see Mr. Jordan’s messages with Mr. Trump, his ineligible squad and others progressive successful readying rallies connected Jan. 6 and legislature objections to certifying Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory.

“We recognize that you had astatine slightest 1 and perchance aggregate communications with President Trump connected Jan. 6,” Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the committee’s chairman, wrote successful the letter. “We would similar to sermon each specified connection with you successful detail.”

Mr. Jordan, a Republican, was deeply involved successful Mr. Trump's effort to combat the predetermination results. He participated successful readying meetings with elder White House officials, including a gathering successful November 2020 astatine Trump run office successful Arlington, Va., and a meeting astatine the White House past December, wherever Republican lawmakers discussed plans with the president’s squad to usage the associated league of Congress connected Jan. 6 to situation the predetermination outcome.

On Jan. 5, Mr. Jordan forwarded to Mark Meadows, Mr. Trump’s main of staff, a substance connection helium had received from a lawyer and erstwhile Pentagon inspector wide outlining a ineligible strategy to overturn the election.

“On Jan. 6, 2021, Vice President Mike Pence, arsenic president of the Senate, should telephone retired each the electoral votes that helium believes are unconstitutional arsenic nary electoral votes astatine each — successful accordance with guidance from founding begetter Alexander Hamilton and judicial precedence,” the substance read.

Mr. Jordan has acknowledged speaking with Mr. Trump connected Jan. 6, though helium has said helium cannot retrieve however galore times they spoke that time oregon erstwhile the calls occurred.

The committee is peculiarly funny successful what Mr. Trump was doing during the riot, Mr. Thompson said, noting that it had already received testimony “indicating that the president was watching tv sum of the onslaught from his backstage eating room” earlier his ineligible squad resumed the effort to “delay oregon different impede the electoral count.”

Mr. Thompson besides said the committee wanted to inquire Mr. Jordan astir immoderate discussions involving the anticipation of statesmanlike pardons for radical progressive successful immoderate facet of Jan. 6.

Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and the vice chairwoman of the committee, has said that Mr. Jordan is simply a “material witness” to the events of Jan. 6. Mr. Jordan has said helium volition see cooperating with the committee depending connected its requests, though helium besides called the sheet a “sham.”

Mr. Thompson noted that Mr. Jordan told the Rules Committee successful November, “I person thing to hide.”

Despite claiming connected the House level connected Jan. 6 that “Americans instinctively cognize determination was thing incorrect with this election,” Mr. Jordan has since said that helium ne'er called the predetermination stolen.

Key Figures successful the Jan. 6 Inquiry

A spokesperson for Mr. Jordan did not instantly respond to a petition for comment. The committee asked to docket his interrogation successful January and offered to question to Ohio to behaviour it.

The missive to Mr. Jordan came a time aft Representative Scott Perry, a Pennsylvania Republican who is adjacent to Mr. Jordan, refused a voluntary gathering with the committee, calling the sheet “illegitimate.”

“I diminution this entity’s petition and volition proceed to combat the failures of the extremist Left who desperately question distraction from their abject failures of crushing inflation, a humiliating surrender successful Afghanistan, and the horrendous situation they created astatine our border,” Mr. Perry, the incoming president of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, wrote connected Twitter connected Wednesday.

The sheet has been reluctant to contented subpoenas for sitting members of Congress, citing the deference and respect lawmakers successful the enclosure are expected to amusement 1 another. But Mr. Thompson has pledged to instrumentality that measurement if needed.

Committee aides said the sheet preferred to stitchery grounds from members of Congress done a voluntary process, but it would see stronger actions if they refused.