McCarthy lashes out at ‘illegitimate’ Jan. 6 committee — says he'll refuse to testify

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a statement Wednesday night that he will refuse a request to testify before the House Select Committee investigating the Capitol insurrection.

"Pelosi’s select committee is illegitimate," McCarthy wrote on Twitter above a link to his statement, hours after the chair of the committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), sent him a letter requesting his testimony.

“This committee is not conducting a legitimate investigation as Speaker Pelosi took the unprecedented action of rejecting the Republican members I named to serve on the committee," McCarthy said in the statement. "It is not serving any legislative purpose. The committee’s only objective is to attempt to damage its political opponents – acting like the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee one day and the DOJ the next."

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“The committee has demanded testimony from staffers who applied for First Amendment permits," he continued. "It has subpoenaed the call records of private citizens and their financial records from banks while demanding secrecy not supported by law. It has lied about the contents of documents it has received. It has held individuals in contempt of Congress for exercising their Constitutional right to avail themselves of judicial proceedings. And now it wants to interview me about public statements that have been shared with the world, and private conversations not remotely related to the violence that unfolded at the Capitol. I have nothing else to add."

“As a representative and the leader of the minority party, it is with neither regret nor satisfaction that I have concluded to not participate with this select committee’s abuse of power that stains this institution today and will harm it going forward," McCarthy said.

Last May, McCarthy indicated that he would be willing to testify about his phone call with former president Donald Trump that took place as insurrectionists stormed the Capitol.

McCarthy is the third GOP member of Congress to signal that he will not cooperate with requests from the committee for information, joining Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA).

It is now up to the committee to decide whether to subpoena them.