Among the details that have been confirmed regarding the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol was that certain members of Congress may have had prior knowledge of the riots before the insurrection occurred. Following the backlash by certain Republican Reps regarding the committee’s work, Democratic congressman Eric Swalwell took a swipe at his colleagues on social media.
California Rep. Eric Swalwell made a dig at his Republican colleagues on social media, in response to a letter signed by 11 Republican Representatives to 13 telecom companies. The representatives threatened to take legal action should the companies comply with the subpoena presented to them by the January 6 committee. The committee sought to obtain the phone records of GOP reps that are suspected to have prior knowledge or to have worked with those who organized and planned the insurrection.
“Tell me you were involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection without actually telling me you were involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection,” tweeted Swalwell.
All of those whose phone records are being sought by the committee are Republicans and known allies of disgraced former President Donald Trump. Legal experts have called the efforts made by those same GOP representatives as ethics violations and possible obstruction of justice or official proceedings. It should be noted that the companies would face a law violation should they refuse to comply with the subpoena.
Aside from members of congress, the committee has also sought to obtain related records in federal agencies such as the FBI and the DOJ in their ongoing probe.
A pro-Trump mob targeted top Democrats in Congress including then-vice president Mike Pence, who refused to overturn the election results despite pressure from the now-former president. Since the riots, Pence and the members of Trump’s cabinet were revealed to have been urged by the American public to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power. NBC4 Washington reporter Scott MacFarlane revealed that there were emails sent to Pence and other members of Trump’s Cabinet from enraged citizens, urging them to invoke the 25th Amendment or impeach him again.
“When the Vice President and the entire Congress have to be HIDDEN in order to be safe from the actions of the President of the United States, it is time to permanently and completely remove the President from power,” said one email to Pence, according to MacFarlane.