Rep. Bennie Thompson Says It's Time For Ginni Thomas To Talk To Jan. 6 Committee
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So far, Ginni Thomas has avoided answering questions under oath about her involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
But that seems to be changing thanks to the reports of emails between Thomas and John Eastman, the lawyer who advised former President Donald Trump how to fight the election results.
Previously, the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol seemed hesitant to question Thomas, whose husband is Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, but the emails recently obtained by the committee seem to be a tipping point, committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said Thursday.
“We think it’s time that we, at some point, invite her to come talk to the committee,” Thompson said, according to a tweet by Axios reporter Andrew Solender.
NEW: Jan. 6 Select Committee Chair Bennie Thompson says they will request testimony from Ginni Thomas in light of the Eastman emails.
“We think it’s time that we, at some point, invite her to come talk to the committee.”— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) June 16, 2022
Later Thursday, Thomas told the conservative website the Daily Caller that she “can’t wait to clear up misconceptions” about her involvement.
Still, the existence of the emails — which was first reported by The Washington Post Wednesday —shows Thomas was more involved in trying to reverse Trump’s election defeat than previously known.
It comes on the heels of news that she also emailed more than two dozen Republican state lawmakers in Arizona in her attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
Thomas has not commented on the emails, and the contents and timing of the exchanges has not been revealed. Despite her efforts, her husband has repeatedly refused to recuse himself from cases related to Jan. 6.
In fact, Clarence Thomas was the only justice to support Trump’s attempt to block the release of White House documents and communications sought by the House committee investigating his effort to overturn the election.
Not surprisingly, Twitter users had thoughts to share about Thompson’s statement suggesting Ginni Thomas could face a subpoena if she doesn’t voluntarily speak to the committee.
I'm sure she'll just swing on by when it's convenient, no biggie. https://t.co/MS0moGHlqE
— Rex Huppke (@RexHuppke) June 16, 2022
Tell her to bring her +1, if you know what I mean. 😈⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️⚖️ https://t.co/0yeGkMsbWd
— Eric Garland (@ericgarland) June 16, 2022
Can't wait for them to ask Ginni Thomas if she gave John Eastman insider intel on a "heated fight" happening between Supreme Court justices about whether to take up Trump's case...https://t.co/CaPks9eAIYhttps://t.co/2rwH65N1aR
— Cameron Joseph (@cam_joseph) June 16, 2022
It would damage the J6 committee's credibility NOT to seek testimony from Ginni Thomas. Obviously the committee has obtained loads of evidence that Ginni facilitated the attempted coup. The sole reason not to call her is because her husband is a justice. And that would be craven. https://t.co/vQcxCCzeq9
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) June 16, 2022
Some people acknowledged the challenges facing the committee in regard to Ginni Thomas.
The committee is in a difficult spot here IMO. On the one hand, it really seems like they need to run this down. On the other, the clock is really ticking down https://t.co/M162OzNzlP
— Quinta Jurecic (@qjurecic) June 16, 2022
So, if Ginni Thomas declines this "invitation," how would spousal privilege apply to any potential subpoena? cc @Popehathttps://t.co/fYBwDAUAlf
— Jeremy Schulman (@jeremyschulman) June 16, 2022
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.