The Select Committee to Investigate the Jan 6th Attack on the United States Capitol asked House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in a letter to voluntarily cooperate with its investigation, and his response was no.

“We write to request your voluntary cooperation with our investigation on a range of critical topics, including your conversations with President Trump before, during and after the violent January 6th attack,” Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairperson of the committee, wrote to McCarthy.

McCarthy wasn't expected to say yes, as most of former President Donald Trump’s allies have refused to cooperate willingly with the committee. In the letter, the committee relies on McCarthy’s public statements saying he spoke to the president and that they fought about what Trump’s response to the insurrection should be while it happened.

“Your public statements regarding January 6th have changed markedly since you met with Trump . . . did President Trump or his representatives discuss or suggest what you should say publicly, during the impeachment trial (if called as a witness), or in any later investigation about your conversations with him on January 6th?” the committee asks McCarthy in the letter.

The committee proposed a meeting with the California lawmaker that would take place in early February, but McCarthy has since declined to cooperate. McCarthy’s reasoning cites, among other objectionable acts, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to add Republican members to the committee who publicly questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election won by President Joe Biden.

“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,” McCarthy commented. “I have nothing else to add.”

McCarthy added that the committee has “subpoenaed the call records of private citizens and their financial records from banks,” “lied about contents of documents,” and “held individuals in contempt for exercising their Constitutional right.”

He also said that the committee seeks information about private meetings he had with Trump that he insists are not relevant to the investigation. Still, the committee has pointed out a fact that applies to many Republican lawmakers as they decried the events of Jan. 6 the day of and days following, but quickly changed their tunes to fall in line with Trump’s view.

McCarthy has concluded that the committee is abusing its power and that its actions are a stain on Congress “today and will harm it going forward.”

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