Republicans launched an inquiry into whether the now-defunct January 6 Select Committee handed documents and materials to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to help build a criminal case against former President Donald Trump.
Republican Reps. Jim Jordan and Barry Loudermilk called on Ms. Willis and Rep. Bennie G. Thompson to turn over documents related to any investigative coordination between the Georgia prosecutor’s office and the committee.
Mr. Jordan, Ohio Republican and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, had previously announced in August that his panel launched an inquiry into whether Ms. Willis coordinated with federal officials with her indictment of Mr. Trump.
According to the latest letter, she has refused to respond.
“Recently, the Committee became aware of cooperation between your office and the partisan January 6 Select Committee. We are in possession of a letter, dated December 17, 2021, and enclosed herein, from you to Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman of the partisan January 6 Select Committee, requesting access to congressional ‘records that may be relevant to our criminal investigation,’” Mr. Jordan wrote.
“Specifically, you asked Rep. Thompson for access to ‘record [sic] includ[ing] but … not limited to recordings and transcripts of witness interviews and depositions, electronic and print records of communications, and records of travel.’”
The letter also notes that Ms. Willis also offered that she and her staff were eager to travel to Washington to “meet with investigators in person” and receive these records at “any time” between Jan. 31, 2022, and Feb. 25, 2022.
“Although it is not clear what records, if any, you obtained from your coordination with the partisan January 6 Select Committee, this new information raises additional questions relevant to the Committee’s oversight of your politically motivated prosecution of a former President of the United States and several former senior federal officials,” Mr. Jordan wrote.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, appointed all the members of the Jan. 6 panel and rejected then-Leader Kevin McCarthy’s Republican choices, instead picking Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.
Both Republicans were known for being stridently anti-Trump and neither is currently in Congress.
Another letter written by Mr. Loudermilk, Georgia Republican, was sent Tuesday to Mr. Thompson, indicating that the House Administration subcommittee on oversight found the same Dec. 17, 2021, letter in the Jan. 6 committee archives.
“According to public reporting, the Select Committee shared records with Ms. Willis. The Select Committee provided ’Fulton County prosecutors … key evidence about what former President Trump and his top advisers knew’ with respect to Georgia’s 2020 election results,” wrote Mr. Loudermilk, chairman of the subcommittee.
He continued, “However, there are no records of any additional communication between the Select Committee and Ms. Willis and her office. Therefore, we have no records showing what the Select Committee actually provided her office.”
Mr. Loudermilk noted that this was concerning to him because Mr. Thompson wrote in a previous letter to him that he did not preserve any video recordings of depositions or transcribed interviews.
“By failing to preserve these videos, you deny the American public the right to review the footage and make their own conclusions about witnesses’ truthfulness. Clearly Ms. Willis agrees that video recordings of witness interviews and depositions are important records,” he said.
Mr. Thompson told The Washington Times that the Jan. 6 committee followed the law on the preservation of documents.
“We did it consistent with what the law required. And that was it. I’m not aware of destruction of any documents,” he said. “I’m not aware of staff being instructed to destroy any documents.”
According to Mr. Loudermilk’s letter to Mr. Thompson, federal prosecutors working for special counsel Jack Smith said in court, on Aug. 11, 2023, that they were using unreleased transcripts provided by the Select Committee in their prosecution Mr. Trump.
“It is unclear if the Special Counsel’s team received these transcripts from the Select Committee or directly from the Biden Administration. However, because you intentionally chose not to archive and preserve these transcripts, my Subcommittee, and the House of Representatives, does not even know the names of these witnesses or what they said in interviews with the Select Committee,” Mr. Loudermilk wrote.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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