Mastriano agrees to interview with Jan. 6 panel
Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania’s Republican gubernatorial nominee, will testify before the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol about his role aiding the Trump campaign in challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The select House committee subpoenaed the Pennsylvania state lawmaker in February, citing his involvement in a plan to send an alternate slate of electors for some states in order to swing the 2020 election for former President Trump.
A letter from Mastriano’s attorney, Timothy Parlatore, indicates he has turned over a suite of documents to comply with the committee’s request but notes the panel’s guardrails to avoid information “related to official actions that you took as an elected lawmaker.”
Given those limitations, the bulk of the tranche of documents provided are social media posts.
Parlatore told The Hill they are still in discussions with the committee over when Mastriano will sit for a voluntary interview.
Mastriano was present at the Capitol on the day of the attack and tweeted that “state legislature has the sole authority to direct the manner of selecting delegates to the Electoral College.”
“We understand that you have knowledge of and participated in a plan to arrange for an alternate slate of electors to be presented to the President of the Senate on January 6, 2021, and we understand that you spoke with former President Trump about your post-election activities,” the committee wrote at the time.
The letter from Mastriano’s lawyer, first reported by Politico, makes clear the extent of what the panel was seeking from the lawmaker, including any documents or communications tied to the plan to send an alternate slate of electors on Jan. 6 as well as any of his communications with Trump’s legal team.
It also asks for any documents tied to his efforts to organize busses to transport supporters to the rallies.
The tranche shows receipts of around $3,000 for the transportation, as well as a passenger list.
It also shows a series of letters to various officials lobbying to address “confusion, irregularities, and a lack of statewide continuity” in Pennsylvania’s election — a phrase he used in a letter to his now-gubernatorial opponent, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D).
But Mastriano’s letters were also directed to those at the federal level.
In a letter to Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, Mastriano echoed the pressure campaign Trump and others at the White House focused on the Justice Department in calling for an investigation of various state elections.
“Election fraud is real and prevalent in Pennsylvania. Yet, despite evidence, our Governor and Secretary of State inexplicably refuse to investigate,” Mastriano wrote in a Dec. 28 letter.
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Similar letters were also addressed to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Mastriano last month won Pennsylvania’s GOP gubernatorial primary after centering much of his campaign on claims of voter fraud and winning Trump’s endorsement.
Updated: 2:28 p.m.
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