The House Jan. 6 Committee said Tuesday that it would consider using “other tools” to collect information after Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) rejected the committee’s request for cooperation.
The committee asked Perry for records on Monday. Perry rejected the request within a day, saying on Twitter Tuesday that the committee was “illegitimate.”
The committee responded within a few hours, noting that “multiple federal courts” had rejected claims from former President Trump that it lacked a legitimate purpose.
In a statement, a committee spokesperson also said the panel would consider seeking the information “using other tools.”
“The Select Committee prefers to gather relevant evidence from members cooperatively, but if members with directly relevant information decline to cooperate and instead endeavor to cover up, the Select Committee will consider seeking such information using other tools,” the statement read.
In his Monday letter to Perry, the committee’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), said the panel was focused on Perry’s role in a behind-the-scenes effort to use the Department of Justice to steal Trump a second term.
Specifically, Thompson said, “We have received evidence from multiple witnesses that you had an important role in the efforts to install [Jeffrey] Clark as acting Attorney General.”
Clark was the DOJ official who sought to have the department challenge several states’ election results. When his superiors rejected that idea, Clark reportedly discussed with Trump the idea of elevating himself to lead the department.
A Senate Judiciary Committee report found that Perry sought to have the DOJ probe “things going on in Pennsylvania.”
Thompson’s letter also noted Perry’s communications with the White House, including texts with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
The committee asked for “all relevant electronic and other communications” relevant to the letter.
Notably, though the committee has issued a steady stream of subpoenas over the last few weeks, it did not subpoena Perry, who is the first member of Congress to receive a request for records. Now, it’s clear those records won’t come easily.
