by Trevor Schakohl
The House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot is trying to probe former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, reportedly finding he was involved in efforts to overturn 2020 election results, according to The Hill.
A committee member said Gingrich seems to have participated in an effort by various allies of former President Donald Trump to establish fake electors in states Trump claimed to have won, the outlet reported. Committee chair Bennie Thompson’s recent letter requesting Gingrich’s “voluntary cooperation” indicated he communicated with Trump advisors like Jared Kushner, Mark Meadows and Jason Miller about election outcome reversal tactics.
The committee acquired email content by Gingrich showing he suggested referencing a “call to action” in a Georgia post-election TV ad supporting voter fraud-related conspiracy theories, The Hill reported. He reportedly told Kushner and Miller arousing “the country’s anger” was the objective, saying voters “will then bring pressure on legislators and governors.”
Committee member and Democratic California Rep. Zoe Lofgren recently told CNN Gingrich participated in efforts to overturn the election after Jan. 6, according to The Hill. She said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that the committee had communicated with more than 1,000 people but still wanted to speak with some including him and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife Ginni Thomas.
The committee’s eighth and most recent hearing took place in late July, and members are set to discuss plans for additional ones on Tuesday, familiar sources told Time. Such hearings may continue into October.
On “Fox & Friends” Monday, Gingrich deemed the committee “a show trial in the Stalinist tradition,” and said he was not directly engaged with it. He referenced the committee’s conduct with midterm elections approaching.
“You know, the ground rule used to be that 60 days out, they stopped all the stuff precisely not to try to influence an election. Instead, you have a deliberate targeting process underway to intimidate Republican donors, Republican candidates, and even Republican lawyers,” he said. This is as close to a police state tactic as we’ve ever seen in this country.”
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Trevor Schakohl is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Newt Gingrich” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Election Day 2020” by Phil Roeder. CC BY 2.0.
