Congressman Scott Perry asked for a pardon weeks after Jan. 6 insurrection, panel says

Teresa Boeckel, York Daily Record
·2 min read
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Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry has no GOP challenger in the 2024 primary.

Congressman Scott Perry, R-York County, sought a presidential pardon for his role in attempting to overturn the 2020 election, according to a special congressional panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

The panel held its first hearing Thursday night, outlining for the public the evidence it will hear about the efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and the riot at the U.S. Capitol. It says the probe shows Trump led and directed efforts to overturn the election.

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a Republican and the committee's vice chair, spoke of the pardons during the hearing.

"As you will see, Rep. Perry contacted the White House in the weeks after Jan. 6, to seek a presidential pardon," Cheney said during the hearing. "Multiple other Republican congressman also sought presidential pardons for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election."

A spokesperson for Perry issued this statement: "This is a ludicrous and soulless lie."

Chad Baker, chairman of the Democratic Party of York County, issued this statement: “You don’t ask for forgiveness unless you have done something wrong."

"As a whole, I believe the televised session last night was enlightening and showed how reprehensible the insurrectionist actions were. President Trump is clearly culpable for the incendiary comments he made and for the call to action many heard across the country. He is clearly at the top of this pyramid and Representative Scott Perry was standing next to him the whole time,” he said.

Holly Robson Kelley, the acting chair for the York County Republican Committee, could not be reached for comment.

U.S. Capitol attack:Jan. 6 committee says probe shows Trump led and directed effort to overturn 2020 election: hearing recap

Also of interest:Miss the Jan. 6 hearing? Here's what Bill Barr, Ivanka Trump, Capitol Police and others said

Who they are: 70 Pennsylvania residents arrested for involvement in Capitol insurrection

Perry is seeking re-election this fall. He faces challenger Shamaine Daniels, a Democratic, in the Nov. 8 election.

Daniels tweeted on Friday that it was a "shocking announcement" by Cheney regarding her opponent, and "it's time to ask some hard questions about Scott Perry."

Cheney's statements on Perry led Common Cause − a nonprofit watchdog and advocacy group that called for Perry's resignation last year based on his statements about decertifying Pennsylvania's votes in the 2020 presidential election − to issue a press release stating that it is looking "forward to all participants in this insurrection being held accountable."

Pennsylvania state capital bureau reporter Bruce Siwy contributed to this story. .

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Jan. 6 committee says Rep. Perry asked for pardon after Capitol attack