Conservative activist Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, has agreed to sit down for a voluntary interview with the House Jan. 6 select committee, her lawyer confirmed to Axios on Wednesday.
Why it matters: Texts obtained by the Washington Post and CBS News show that she played an active role in encouraging then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows to take steps to help overturn the 2020 election results. She has said she attended the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the deadly riot at the Capitol but left before the insurrection.
Driving the news: "As she has said from the outset, Mrs. Thomas is eager to answer the Committee’s questions to clear up any misconceptions about her work relating to the 2020 election," attorney Mark Paoletta said in a statement.
- "She looks forward to that opportunity."
- CNN first reported the news.
The big picture: The committee decided to seek testimony from Thomas after it emerged she had contact with John Eastman, a lawyer at the heart of some of Trump's efforts to overturn the election.
- There have been multiple reports of Thomas attempting to help, including emails obtained by the Post outlining her push for Arizona lawmakers to reverse former President Trump's loss in the state.
- In June, Paoletta wrote a letter to the committee questioning the basis for an interview. He said the emails with Eastman had little relevance to the probe and that Thomas' texts to Meadows reflected the act of "simply texting with a friend" in her "personal capacity as a private citizen."
Worth noting: The revelations led to calls for Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from cases related to the investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
- Twenty-two Democrats later sent him and Chief Justice John Roberts a letter demanding answers on "potential conflicts" and calling for ethics reform.
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
