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U.S. House panel seeks testimony from Republican leader McCarthy about Jan. 6 attack

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) holds his weekly news conference with Capitol Hill reporters in Washington
U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) holds his weekly news conference with Capitol Hill reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., December 3, 2021.
REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz

The U.S. congressional committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol asked House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday to voluntarily answer questions about Donald Trump’s actions on the day of the riot.

In a letter to McCarthy released publicly, the House of Representatives Select Committee said it was requesting his testimony on a range of topics, including his conversations with the former president before, during and after the attack.

The committee is also investigating whether Trump suggested to McCarthy what he should say publicly and to investigators about their conversations on the day of the attack, according to the letter.

McCarthy and Trump met on Jan. 28, 2021, in Palm Beach, Florida.

The panel had previously asked another Trump ally in Congress, U.S. Representative Jim Jordan, to disclose conversations he had with Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.

Jordan said on Sunday he would not cooperate with the committee’s investigating, calling it illegitimate.

Two Republicans, Representatives Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, are members of the committee.

The Select Committee’s chairman, Representative Bennie Thompson, has said the panel is looking into whether it has the authority to issue subpoenas to Republican members of Congress to force their cooperation.