The Jan. 6 select committee on Thursday requested an interview with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) about his involvement in events leading up to the Capitol riot.
Why it matters: The request indicates the panel is still pursuing new investigative avenues even as they prepare to hold more hearings and put out a comprehensive report in the coming months.
Driving the news: In a letter to Gingrich, a close Trump ally, Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) cited emails he sent to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about "fake" Trump electors.
- In a Nov. 12, 2020 email, Gingrich wrote: "Evans makes the point that all the contested electors must meet on [D]ecember 14 and send in ballots to force contests which the house would have to settle."
- In another email to Meadows at 10:42pm on Jan. 6, 2021, after the violence at the Capitol subsided, Gingrich allegedly asked "[a]re there letters from state legislators about decertifying electors[?]"
- "Accordingly, you appear to have been involved with President Trump’s efforts to stop the certification of the election results, even after the attack on the Capitol,” Thompson said in the letter.
Gingrich was also in frequent touch with senior Trump advisors about post-2020 election ads promoting baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, according to the letter.
- It cited one email exchange on Dec. 8 in which Gingrich urged the Trump campaign to hone in on fraud claims in Georgia in an ad including a “call-to-action.”
- Gingrich wrote to Trump advisors, including Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, that the ads would aim to “arouse the country’s anger” and convince Trump’s supporters to “bring pressure on legislators and governors.”
What's next: Thompson requested a "voluntary transcribed interview" with Gingrich on the week of Sept. 19.
- Gingrich did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
