- The Washington Times - Sunday, September 25, 2022

Rep. Jamie Raskin said Sunday that the House Jan. 6 panel’s likely “last investigative public hearing” on Wednesday will not include testimony from Ginni Thomas or Newt Gingrich.

The House special committee has sought to interview Mrs. Thomas, a conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and Mr. Gingrich, a former House speaker who counsels GOP leaders, about their contacts with Trump-era officials on trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Mrs. Thomas has agreed to speak with congressional investigators, while it is unclear whether Mr. Gingrich has cooperated with the committee’s request.

“My expectation is this will be the last investigative hearing. But our report is all about giving the information to Congress and the American people about what needs to be done,” Mr. Raskin, Maryland Democrat and committee member, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “If relevant information surfaces in that interview [with Mrs. Thomas] or any others, we will include it.”

Mr. Raskin said the panel’s final report on the attack on the U.S. Capitol will be issued by the end of the current Congress on Jan. 3, 2023. He was not sure if it could be completed before the Nov. 8 election.

“Our commitment is to get it done by the end of this Congress. The House of Representatives, unlike the Senate, ends every two years, and a completely new Congress comes in. So that’s the end of our lease on life,” Mr. Raskin said. “We need to get it to people.”


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The committee wants to question Mrs. Thomas about her communications with a wide range of Trump officials and party activists about overturning the election, including previously revealed text messages with former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, emails to state lawmakers in Arizona and Wisconsin and communications with Trump lawyer John Eastman. 

In a statement last week, Mrs. Thomas’ attorney said she is “eager to answer the committee’s questions to clear up any misconceptions about her work relating to the 2020 election. She looks forward to that opportunity.”

Both Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Gingrich have been publicly critical of the Jan. 6 committee. 

The panel has alleged that Mr. Gingrich was involved in Mr. Trump’s scheme to appoint fake state electors who would contest the election results in states that voted for President Biden.

Mr. Gingrich, a Fox News contributor, has said previously on the network that the panel is a “show trial in the Stalinist tradition” and that his attorney is in contact with congressional investigators. 

Pressed at the U.S. Capitol last week by an NBC News reporter about the committee’s interview request, Mr. Gingrich accused the journalist of having “a learning disability.”

“Excuse me?” the reporter responded.

“The fact is,” Mr. Gingrich said, “I’ve said three or four times, I don’t talk about it.”

• Ramsey Touchberry can be reached at rtouchberry@washingtontimes.com.

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