New bill would cancel subpoenas for Trump aides from Jan 6
House Republicans are launching a new effort to revoke subpoenas issued by the House select committee on Jan. 6 to key aides of former President Trump. The move comes as Reps. Andy Biggs, Thomas Massie, and Eric Burlison introduced a resolution to rescind subpoenas sent to Steve Bannon, Mark Meadows, Peter Navarro, and Dan Scavino.
In addition to withdrawing contempt of Congress resolutions against these individuals, the resolution aims to address what Republicans see as an abuse of power by the now-defunct committee. According to Burlison, the Committee was “used as a political weapon” with the sole purpose of targeting Trump and his advisors through biased manipulation of facts and stifling dissenting voices.
Massie stressed the urgency of the situation, calling on Speaker Johnson to bring the resolution to the floor for a swift vote. However, Nancy Pelosi’s office declined to provide any comment on the matter.
The select committee was established by Pelosi in response to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, which saw Trump supporters breach the building in protest of Biden’s election victory. While an initial vote to create a 9/11-style commission to investigate the riot was passed in the House, it failed to gain traction in the Senate.
Pelosi then pushed for the creation of a select committee, which drew criticism from GOP members who accused the Speaker of turning the investigation into a partisan spectacle. This criticism was further fueled by Pelosi’s rejection of two Trump-allied Republicans nominated by then-Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Among the co-sponsors of Burlison’s resolution is Rep. Jim Banks, one of the Trump-aligned Republicans rejected by Pelosi for the select committee.
Despite the efforts of House Republicans to revoke subpoenas and contempt of Congress resolutions, Bannon and Navarro have already been sentenced to four months in prison as a result of their defiance. Meadows and Scavino, however, have not faced prosecution by the Department of Justice.
With 22 additional co-sponsors backing the GOP legislation, the push to challenge the actions of the select committee is gaining momentum. As the political showdown continues, the debate over the legitimacy and fairness of the committee’s actions shows no sign of slowing down.
