Ginni Thomas told the Jan. 6 committee she cried "tears of joy" while watching the infamous news conference where Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell spread wild conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
The wife of U.S. Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas met with the House select committee for an interview, although she declined to speak on video or under oath, and she answered questions about her political activism and communications during the post-election period.
"Later in the afternoon on that same day, I'll represent to you there was a press conference -- and maybe you recall -- there was a press conference with Mr. Giuliani, Ms. Powell and several other members of the Trump legal team held at the [Republican National Committee] here in Washington," one of the panelists said, according to a transcript of the interview.
Thomas agreed that she watched the Nov. 20, 2020, press conference, possibly live as it happened, and recalled sending texts about the claims made by Trump's attorneys to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
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"Your first text is, 'Tears are flowing in what Rudy is doing right now,'" the panelist said, and asked what she meant.
"I think somebody was identifying fraud and showing leadership and being a good communicator, and I was hopeful at the time," Thomas said.
Thomas agreed that she most likely meant she was crying "tears of joy," as the interviewer put it, but she couldn't remember what she meant in a follow-up text stating, "Whoa, heroes."
However, the Trump campaign began distancing themselves from Powell after that news conference, which was widely criticized and ridiculed, and Thomas agreed she stopped promoting her after first expressing puzzlement about the move to Meadows.
"I don't remember anything about a press release from the campaign, but I was surprised that she wasn't providing evidence from the inside," Thomas said, "and so my next text to him on [November] 22nd was the end of me promoting Sidney Powell at that point."