by The parliamentary committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol will speak with conservative activist Ginny Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, this week, committee chairman Rep. Benny Thompson said Wednesday.
Thompson did not say whether the committee would speak to Thomas on Thursday or Friday.
The commission asked Thomas to voluntarily appear before the commission after learning of this had corresponded with John Eastman, a conservative attorney who helped shape the legal strategy to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to unilaterally throw away the state’s electoral votes.
Thomas also emailed at least two Wisconsin Republican lawmakers days after the presidential election, urging them to name an alternate list of presidential electors to support former President Donald Trump. Additionally, Thomas corresponded via text message with Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows in the days after the 2020 election, urging him to overturn the election results.
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Thomas’ lawyer confirmed last week that she would attend a “voluntary meeting” with the commission. “As she has said from the beginning, Ms. Thomas is willing to answer the committee’s questions to clear up any misunderstandings about her work regarding the 2020 election,” Thomas’ attorney, Mark Paoletta, said in a statement on the 22 September. he is looking forward to this opportunity.”
The news comes as the committee was forced out adjourn a hearing which was scheduled for Wednesday due Hurricane Ian. Thompson said Wednesday that a new date has not yet been set and committee members are reviewing their schedules. Parliament is due to go into recess at the end of the week.
Thomson he said earlier this month that the commission plans to produce an interim report in mid-October and will complete the report before the end of the year.
That will take the committee past the midterm elections in November. The committee’s two Republicans, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzingerboth are leaving Congress in January. Cheney lost the Republican primary in Wyoming to a Trump-backed challenger. Kinzinger decided not to run for re-election. Another member, Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria, faces a tough re-election battle against Republican state Sen. Jen Kiggans.
Zak Hudak contributed to this report.
