House GOP Measure Seeks To Revoke January 6 Subpoenas Against Trump Associates

 A group of more than two dozen House Republicans unveiled this week a resolution that aims to rescind January 6 Committee subpoenas against several associates of former President Donald Trump.

The measure also seeks to withdraw recommendations that these individuals be held in contempt of Congress and require the House speaker to notify the Department of Justice (DOJ) of the actions.

At focus are four ex-White House officials who refused to cooperate with subpoenas: Stephen Bannon, Peter Navarro, Dan Scavino, and Mark Meadows.

The DOJ declined to prosecute Scavino and Meadows, but did open up cases and secure convictions against the others.

Former White House trade adviser Navarro is serving a four-month prison sentence. Bannon, Trump’s former chief strategist who left the White House in 2017, is slated to report to prison on July 1.

Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) announced the resolution on Tuesday, noting that it had 24 co-sponsors, including Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Chip Roy (R-TX).

“The subpoenas that were issued were legally insufficient and should be rescinded, and the contempt of Congress referrals based on those subpoenas should be withdrawn,” Burlison said in a statement.

Democrats led the House when the now-defunct January 6 Committee ran its investigation. Two Republicans, now-former Reps. Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), served on the panel.

 

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), who served as chairman of the January 6 Committee, pushed back against the bid to revoke the subpoenas and withdraw the contempt of Congress recommendations.

“Thankfully, this resolution will have no impact,” he told Fox News, adding that the subpoenas “were litigated exhaustively, with contempt of Congress charges going as high as the Supreme Court.”

It remains to be seen whether the resolution will even be considered by the GOP-led House, but its co-sponsors would like to see a vote.

“The Republican House should, by an official vote of the House, declare the subpoenas on Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro to be illegitimate and repealed,” Massie said.

He added, “If Congress does so, it will be an effective and needed repudiation of the sham January 6th committee.”