Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) on Sunday wouldn’t pledge to stay off the possible new House committee that would investigate probes into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol despite being a subject of a Department of Justice (DOJ) inquiry into the matter.
“Why should I be limited — why should anybody be limited — just because someone has made an accusation? Everybody in America is innocent until proven guilty,” Perry said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Host George Stephanopoulos pressed Perry, asking, “Doesn’t that pose a conflict to you, since you’re also part of the investigation?”
“So, should everybody in Congress that disagrees with somebody be barred from doing the oversight and investigative powers that Congress has? That’s our charge. And again, that’s appropriate for every single member, regardless of what accusations are made. I get accused of things every single day, as does every member that serves in the public eye,” Perry countered.
Newly elected Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has indicated the Republican majority just sworn in plans to review the work of the House select committee that last year probed Jan. 6 and look into the federal investigations.
DOJ investigations seized Perry’s phone in connection with the rioting, and obtained email exchanges between Perry and former Trump attorney John Eastman, among others.
Perry also introduced former President Trump to Jeffrey Clark, whom Trump considered appointing as attorney general in order to propagate his claims of election fraud during the 2020 presidential contest.
— Updated at 11:49 a.m.