Topline
The January 6 committee has asked former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) to turn over records and appear for an interview, alleging he advised top Trump officials numerous times about strategies to overturn the 2020 election results.
Then-Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich delivers remarks to students at Georgetown … [+]
Key Facts
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), committee chairman, sent a letter to Gingrich on Thursday stating the committee has information that “suggests you were involved in the fake elector scheme.”
The letter cited an alleged email Gingrich sent to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former White House counsel Pat Cipollone on November 20, 2020, in which Gingrich asks, “Is someone in charge of coordinating all the electors?”
Gingrich was also in touch with former President Donald Trump’s staffers several times to coordinate and edit scripts for TV commercials that urged Trump supporters to pressure their state legislators to overturn election results, according to Thompson, which often promoted already debunked conspiracy theories.
Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kusher, and Jason Miller, a former spokesman, were among those Gingrich was in touch with about the commercials, Thompson said.
Gingrich also allegedly emailed Meadows shortly after rioters were cleared from the Capitol to ask if plans for overturning the election were still in the works.
Gingrich did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Crucial Quote
“Surprisingly, the attack on Congress and the activities prescribed by the Constitution did not even pause your relentless pursuit,” Thompson said.
Key Background
The letter marks the most significant public action from the committee in weeks following a series of public hearings earlier this summer. The committee plans to hold additional hearings this month but a schedule has not been announced. Gingrich, 79, has spent decades as a top figure in Republican politics, most notably a four-year stretch as speaker of the House from 1995 to 1999. He launched an unsuccessful presidential run in 2012 and was considered a frontrunner to be Trump’s running mate in 2016 before then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence was selected.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/09/01/jan-6-committee-asks-newt-gingrich-to-testify/