Ginni Thomas, wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, could be subpoenaed by Jan. 6 committee: Rep. Liz Cheney
The wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas could face a subpoena from the special House committee probing the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the U.S. Capitol if she does not answer questions voluntarily, the panel’s Republican co-chairwoman said Sunday.
The panel wants to ask Ginni Thomas about her involvement in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, Rep. Liz Cheney said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“We certainly hope that she will agree to come in voluntarily, but the committee is fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena if she does not,” the Wyoming Republican said.
“I hope it doesn’t get to that. I hope she will come in voluntarily,” she said, adding, “We’ve certainly spoken with numbers of people who are similarly situated.”
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, in 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) (Susan Walsh/)
During the buildup to the siege of the Capitol, Ginni Thomas wrote to Trump’s then-chief of staff, Mark Meadows, urging him to try to overturn the election results.
The House committee also has obtained emails between Thomas and lawyer John Eastman, who worked on Trump’s behalf to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to reject the election results.
Thomas attended the rally Trump held before throngs of his supporters attacked the Capitol, where lawmakers were meeting to certify Joe Biden as president.
“It’s very important for us to speak with her, and as I said, I hope she will agree to do so voluntarily, but I’m sure we will contemplate a subpoena if she won’t,” Cheney said.
Last month, Thomas told right-wing outlet The Daily Caller that she wanted to appear before the committee.
“I can’t wait to clear up misconceptions. I look forward to talking to them,” she said.
Former Trump aide Steve Bannon was found guilty of contempt of Congress on Friday for refusing to answer a subpoena from the committee.
Cheney also said Sunday she was thinking about running for president but has not yet made up her mind.
Speculation has grown that she could make a bid for the White House since she became co-chairwoman of the special House committee.
Her strong denunciations of Trump have given her a big national profile — and inspired loathing among many in the GOP base.
“I have not made a decision about 2024,” she said on CNN. “I’ll make a decision on 2024 down the road.”
“I believe that our nation stands on the edge of an abyss,” Cheney added. “We have to elect serious candidates, and we’ve got to elect people who will take their obligations and their oaths seriously.”
She is trailing her Trump-backed Republican primary opponent who is challenging her in this year’s midterm elections.
“If I have to choose between maintaining a seat in the House of Representatives or protecting the constitutional republic and ensuring the American people know the truth about Donald Trump, I’m going to choose the Constitution and the truth every single day,” said the congresswoman, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.
She also took a swipe at Republicans who repeat Trump’s disproven claim that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
“I am working hard here in Wyoming to earn every vote, but I will also say this: I’m not going to lie,” Cheney said. “I’m not going to say things that aren’t true about the election.
“My opponents are doing that, certainly, simply for the purpose of getting elected,” she said.
With News Wire Services
