House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's select committee probing the Jan. 6 incidents at the U.S. Capitol is asking for any records of communications between Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Trump administration in the days leading up to the attack, The Texas Tribune is reporting.
According to the outlet, the request came this week as a part of a series of letters seeking material from agencies, including the National Archives and Records Administration, the FBI, and Homeland Security.
In the letter to the National Archives, committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., asked that it hand over "all documents and communications referring or relating to the 2020 election results between White House officials and officials of state Governments."
The Tribune said the document listed Paxton, along with seven officials from other states.
The Dallas Morning News reported the letter went on to say: "Our Constitution provides for a peaceful transfer of power, and this investigation seeks to evaluate threats to that process, identify lessons learned and recommend laws, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations necessary to protect our republic in the future."
Paxton was one of those who spoke at the pro-Trump rally prior to the Capitol attack, according to the newspaper.
"What we have in President Trump is a fighter," the paper quoted Paxton as saying during the rally. "And I think that’s why we’re all here. We will not quit fighting. We’re Texans, we’re Americans, and the fight will go on."
Meanwhile, the committee will also seek phone records from several hundred individuals, including lawmakers, Thompson said on Monday.
He told reporters the committee would be sending letters to telecommunications companies and social media companies, requesting they preserve relevant documents connected to "several hundred" people.
Thompson said the letters would seek voluntary compliance before the committee would issue subpoenas.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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