Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and different congressional Republicans sought pardons from then-President Donald Trump after the 2020 election, in line with emails and testimony revealed by the Jan. 6 Home choose committee on Thursday.
The committee confirmed an e mail that Brooks despatched to the White Home on Jan. 11, 2021, with the topic line of “pardons.”
“President Trump requested me to ship you this letter. This letter can be pursuant to a request from Matt Gaetz,” the e-mail stated. “As such, I like to recommend that president give normal (all goal) pardons to the next teams of individuals,” which included one group of “each congressman and senator who voted to reject the electoral school vote submissions of Arizona and Pennsylvania.”
Former Trump White Home lawyer Eric Herschmann stated that Gaetz requested a pardon. “The overall tone was, we could get prosecuted as a result of we have been defensive of, you realize, the president’s positions on this stuff,” Herschmann stated.
“The pardon that he was discussing, requesting, was as broad as you might describe,” Herschmann stated.
John McEntee, one other Trump aide, instructed the committee in a deposition interview performed at Thursday’s listening to that Gaetz had instructed him he’d requested for a pardon. “He instructed me he’d requested Meadows for a pardon,” McEntee stated.
McEntee added that he additionally heard discussions a few blanket pardon. “I had heard that talked about,” he stated.
Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to former White Home chief of employees Mark Meadows, stated at a Dec. 21, 2020, White Home assembly there have been congressional Republicans who have been “advocates” for pardons.
“I assume Mr. Gaetz and Mr. Brooks I do know had each advocated there be a blanket pardon for members concerned in that assembly and a handful of different members that weren’t on the Dec. 21 assembly because the preemptive pardons,” Hutchinson stated. “Mr. Gaetz was personally pushing for a pardon.”
Hutchinson additionally testified that Perry, who performed a key function connecting DOJ official Jeffrey Clark to Trump, had sought a pardon, in addition to Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Louie Gohmert of Texas.
Requested by committee investigators if Perry requested for a pardon to Hutchinson instantly, she stated, “Sure, he did.”
Hutchinson additionally testified that she had heard Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had “requested for a pardon from (deputy White Home counsel Patrick) Philbin,” however that she stated she didn’t hear it instantly.
Rep. Jim Jordan, Hutchinson stated, had not requested for a pardon however “extra for an replace on whether or not the White Home was going to pardon members of Congress.”
“Mr. Gohmert requested for one as properly,” Hutchinson stated.
