The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6., 2021 unrest at the Capitol might request another discussion with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., after the New York Times touted audio recordings involving McCarthy, apparently around that time of the incident.
In January, the nine-member panel invited McCarthy to speak about Jan. 6, an offer the congressman refused.
Would a second invitation come in the form of a subpoena?
"We've invited (McCarthy) to come earlier before the latest revelation that was reported on tapes. So, in all probability, he will be issued another invitation to come just like some other members," said Jan. 6 panel chair Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., while noting a subpoena request "will be a consideration for the committee."
In the tapes, McCarthy apparently can be heard saying former President Donald Trump admitted some responsibility for the Jan. 6 incident.
And in a separate exchange, McCarthy apparently sought to avoid any conversations with Trump about a pardon by former Vice President Mike Pence.
The panel's McCarthy request from January was reportedly preceded by invitations to Reps. Scott Perry, R-Pa. and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, who have likewise failed to appear.
The Jan. 6 panel is made up of seven Democrats and just two Republicans; and both GOP members — Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. — have been outspoken Trump critics.
In mid-December, the Democrat-controlled House levied contempt of Congress charges against former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, claiming he failed to cooperate with the Jan. 6 panel.
The Justice Department has already indicted former Trump adviser Steve Bannon on a contempt charge. A federal judge ruled that trial will begin July 18.
The Jan. 6 panel doesn't have any formal judicial power, Thompson recently told the Washington Post.
"We're not a criminal body — we are just looking for the facts and circumstances around Jan. 6, but in the course of that review, there are some very troubling things that we've come upon that we think if [the DOJ] would take a look at it, there would be something there."
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