Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a high-profile conservative who encouraged former President Donald Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election, has hit pause on speaking to the House Jan. 6 Committee.
In response to renewed requests by the committee for Mrs. Thomas to testify, her lawyer, Mark Paoletta, is downplaying the significance of her communications with former conservative lawyer John Eastman, a key figure behind Mr. Trump’s plan.
“Not a single document shows any coordination between Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Eastman,” Mr. Paoletta wrote in a letter to the committee first obtained by The New York Times.
He told the committee that if the panel reveals additional information, he would reconsider.
“But, based on my understanding of the facts the committee has in its possession, I do not believe there is currently a sufficient basis to speak with Mrs. Thomas,” Mr. Paoletta wrote.
The pushback is a departure from Mrs. Thomas’ statement that she welcomed the opportunity to speak with the committee to “clear up misconceptions.” She made the offer after the committee renewed its push for her to testify, citing emails it had obtained in connection with Mr. Eastman that contained “some information that refers to Ginni Thomas.”
But Mr. Paoletta said the emails don’t have information sufficient to compel Mrs. Thomas to testify.
He said the emails produced by the committee show few, if any, instances of direct communication between Mr. Eastman, and were from months before the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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