January 6 Committee Subpoenas Five GOP Lawmakers

“The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol issued subpoenas on Thursday to five Republican members of Congress, including Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader, who refused to meet with the panel voluntarily,” the New York Times reports.

“The committee’s leaders had previously been reluctant to issue subpoenas to their fellow lawmakers. That is an extraordinarily rare step for most congressional committees to take, though the House Ethics Committee, which is responsible for investigating allegations of misconduct by members, is known to do so.”

Playbook: “This is a huge escalation by the committee, one it had been debating for months. Among the concerns is the precedent that it sets, and the potential for Republicans to return in kind if, as expected, they take control of the House after the midterms. The committee is also prepping for a slate of prime time hearings that are expected next month.”

Punchbowl News: “This is an unprecedented move, and it shows just how toxic relations are between the two parties in the House. It puts in plain view just how far Democrats will go to get to the bottom of what happened during the Jan. 6 insurrection.”