McCarthy’s rejection of the Jan. 6 committee sets up political and legal showdown
WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s refusal to cooperate with the congressional committee investigating last year’s Capitol assault marks his most definitive rejection of the Jan. 6 probe — thrusting him and the committee into uncharted legal and political waters.
His rebuke of the panel pushes its members closer to the difficult decision of whether to subpoena their House colleagues, a move that could advance their investigation, but also opens them up to accusations of extreme partisanship ahead of the midterms, and sets a precedent for future House probes.
The committee is requesting information from McCarthy on his communications with former President Donald Trump before, during and after the attack on the Capitol. In a letter, committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., pointed to McCarthy’s phone call with Trump while the attack was happening, in which the congressman asked Trump to help disperse the
