House Republicans Move To Revoke Jan. 6 Subpoenas Against Trump Aides
House Republicans have introduced a measure to revoke subpoenas issued to former advisers of President Donald Trump by the January 6th Committee. The resolution, introduced by Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Eric Burlison (R-MO) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), seeks to nullify all subpoenas from the now-dissolved committee, which was disbanded when Republicans took control of the House after the 2022 midterm elections.
This resolution would also reverse contempt of Congress charges against individuals who ignored the subpoenas, including former Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and former Trade Adviser Peter Navarro. “The Committee was used as a political weapon with a singular focus on taking down Trump and his advisors through the intentional manipulation of facts and the silencing of the minority party,” said Rep. Burlison on social media. “The subpoenas issued by the illegitimate Committee for Bannon, Navarro, Scavino, and Meadows were insufficient and should be rescinded, and the contempt of Congress referrals based on those subpoenas should be withdrawn.”
The committee, created by then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), faced allegations of partisanship. Pelosi refused to seat Reps. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Jim Jordan (R-OH) when then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) attempted to appoint them, prompting McCarthy to pull all his Republican picks. Pelosi then appointed anti-Trump Republicans Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Liz Cheney (R-WY) to the committee, leading to accusations that the committee was more political than investigative.
Bennie Thompson (D-MS), former chairman of the January 6 committee, dismissed the new resolution’s potential impact. “Thankfully, this resolution will have no impact,” Thompson said. He noted that the subpoenas had been extensively litigated, with contempt charges reaching the Supreme Court. “Sadly, it’s just the latest attempt by House Republicans to subvert the rule of law and do Donald Trump’s bidding. Nothing will exonerate Trump from his actions on January 6 and nothing will change the fact that Bannon and Navarro are convicted criminals.”
Bannon and Navarro were convicted of contempt of Congress and sentenced to four months in prison. The Department of Justice decided not to prosecute former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Dan Scavino. The resolution introduced by Biggs, Burlison, and Massie currently has 22 co-sponsors.
