‘Thank you for the question’: Kevin McCarthy refuses to say whether any GOP lawmakers were in contact with Trump rioters
House minority leader Kevin McCarthy refused to answer questions about what he and other Republican lawmakers know about the Jan. 6 insurrection.
The Democratic-led House voted 252-175, with the backing of 35 GOP lawmakers, to establish a commission to investigate the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, but McCarthy and Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell both oppose the investigation -- as does former president Donald Trump, who was impeached a second time for inciting the riot.
"Would you be willing to testify about your conversation with Donald Trump on Jan. 6 if you were asked by an outside commission?" one reporter asked.
McCarthy said, "Sure," and swiftly asked for the next question, and was more willing to talk about the 35 Republicans who voted for the panel.
"This [House speaker Nancy] Pelosi Commission that we tried to work on for quite some time, remember I asked Pelosi for one on Jan. 13, she spent four months just playing politics," McCarthy said. "In that time period, an officer got killed on Good Friday, just across from the Capitol. She didn't want to have the scope to do that, as well."
McCarthy said two Senate committees were already investigating the deadly riot intended to overturn Trump's election loss, along with the Department of Justice, and the Capitol architect had been given $10 million to study needed security improvements.
"That's the type of work that we want to make sure done that it never happens again, those that participated and caused it should be held accountable and that we secure this Capitol and we don't play politics with it," McCarthy said.
McCarthy briefly bickered with a reporter about the bill's language allowing the commission to look at influencing factors in the insurrection, and he disputed that lawmakers who may potentially be called as witnesses had a conflict of interest in voting against the measure.
"No, because who knows what they're going to do on the commission," McCarthy said. "So, no, I don't think so."
Another reporter asked whether any GOP lawmakers had been in contact with any of the insurrectionists, and McCarthy refused to say.
"Thank you for the question," he said, turning to leave. "Have a nice day."
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