Politics

Trump-endorsed PA candidate for governor sues Jan. 6th Committee 

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Pennsylvania candidate for governor, Senator Doug Mastriano, filed a lawsuit this week against the House Committee investigating the Capitol riot, which occurred on January 6, 2021.

In the lawsuit, filed on Thursday in a DC federal court, claims Congressional rules state that in order to have the jurisdiction to depose witnesses, a ranking member of the opposing party needs to be present. The suit alleges that because none of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s choices for the Committee are on the panel, the panel does not have the authority to make Mastriano sit for questioning under oath in front of the Committee.

The Committee issued a subpoena to Mastriano, who has publicly aligned himself closely with former president Donald Trump, in February of this year. Mastriano appeared in front of the panel in May but refused to answer any questions, and is now attempting to block himself from being deposed by filing the lawsuit in DC court. 

“Because the Select Committee has absolutely no authority to conduct compelled depositions, Plaintiff was willing to sit for a voluntary interview,” the complaint reads. “However, because Plaintiff is currently the Republican nominee for Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, he asked the Committee to agree to certain prophylactic measures that would ensure that his participation would not run the risk of improperly influencing the Pennsylvania state election.”

The lawsuit is referring to a conflict between Mastriano’s legal team and the January 6 Committee in which Mastriano’s lawyers asked to make their own recording of a video deposition and were refused by the Committee.

“Unfortunately, the Committee refused to negotiate any terms of a voluntary interview that would prevent them from improperly influencing the election, thus necessitating this litigation,” the suit adds.

The Pennsylvania senator is being targeted by the Committee over his role in calling for the overturning of the Pennsylvania 2020 election results and his role in the events leading up to the Capitol attack.

ARTICLE: LAURA SPIVAK

MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE

PHOTO CREDITS: CTV NEWS

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Laura Spivak

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.

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