Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Sunday said the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol could make ethics referrals for lawmakers who ignored congressional subpoenas.
“We’ll be considering what’s the appropriate remedy for members of Congress who ignore a congressional subpoena, as well as the evidence that was so pertinent to our investigation and why we wanted to bring them in. We have weighed what is the remedy for members of Congress. Is it a criminal referral to another branch of government? Or is it better that the Congress police on its own?” Schiff said on CNN’s “State of the Union” with host Jake Tapper.
Schiff said the panel had considered both censure and ethics referrals for the lawmakers.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), and fellow Republican Reps. Scott Perry (Pa.), Jim Jordan (Ohio), Andy Biggs (Ariz.) and Mo Brooks (Ala.) ignored subpoenas from the Jan. 6 committee and may face the ethics referrals.
A decision is set to be disclosed Monday, when the committee meets to reportedly vote on sending at least three criminal referrals targeting Trump to the Justice Department.
More than 30 former House lawmakers in an open letter have also called for ethics investigations into lawmakers “who played a role” in the rioting and the run-up to the attack.
As a new Congress readies to take over in January, the Jan. 6 panel is wrapping up its long-running investigation and preparing to release its much-anticipated final report.