Republican National Committee sues the January 6 Committee for ‘unlawfully seizing information’

The lawsuit is the latest attack on the committee’s legitimacy by Republicans.

The Republican National Committee sued the House select committee investigating the January 6 riot on the Capitol last year, saying it unlawfully seized information.

Justin Riemer, the chief counsel for the RNC, criticised the committee for “seizing” confidential information about the committee’s internal activities and supporters for matters unrelated to the riot.

“Nancy Pelosi and the Committee have weaponized Congress’ investigatory powers by issuing this staggeringly broad subpoena which tramples on core First Amendment rights of the RNC and millions of Americans,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. “The RNC is challenging this unconstitutional overreach so that one of America’s two major political parties may not use the force of government to unlawfully seize the private and sensitive information of the other.”

Specifically the RNC cited the committee’s subpoenaing Salesforce for RNC data. After the January 6 riot, Salesforce stopped Republicans from using the email platform as a means of preventing any further violence.

The RNC also noted how it has repeatedly condemned the riot at the Capitol and cited how pipe bombs were found at the committee on the day when former president Donald Trump’s supporters raided the complex. It also said that the committee has yet to investigate the bomb found at the complex.

The lawsuit, which was filed with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, also said that the requests from the committee were too broad.

“Included within the sweep of these ‘all’ requests would be voluminous emails and logins associated with ‘get out the vote’ efforts on the November 3rd Election Day, the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections held on January 5, 2022, and other political activity of the RNC unrelated to the presidential election,” the lawsuit said. “This irrelevant information would not serve to inform any activity by the Select Committee, let alone any valid legislative action. Indeed, one struggles to fathom how confidential RNC political analytics would serve Congress in the permissible execution of its constitutional function.”

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel (Getty Images)

Republicans have consistently opposed the January 6 committee. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had whipped his caucus against creating a bipartisan commission similar to the one after 9/11. When the Senate defeated the resolution, all but two Republicans voted against creating a select committee.

Later, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy selected five Republicans to join the select committee. But then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi vetoed the membership of Reps Jim Banks of Indiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio. That led to Mr McCarthy pulling his other three members--Reps Rodney Davis of Illinois, Troy Nehls of Texas and Kelly Armstrong of North Dakota.

Earlier this year, the RNC censured the committee’s sole Republicans Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney for “participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse, and they are both utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask Democrat abuse of prosecutorial power for partisan purposes.”