Ginni Thomas' attorney wants "better justification" before Jan. 6 committee interview
A lawyer for Virginia Thomas wrote in a letter to the Jan. 6 House committee Tuesday that he wants "a better justification for why Mrs. Thomas's testimony is relevant," before he can recommend the conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas sit for an interview.
"Based on my understanding of the communications that spurred the Committee's request, I do not understand the need to speak with Mrs. Thomas," the lawyer, Mark Paoletta, wrote to the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Paoletta's eight-page letter, which was obtained by CBS News, was first reported on by the Daily Caller.
Thomas, known as "Ginni," garnered the committee's interest after it learned she corresponded with John Eastman, a lawyer involved in the campaign to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to certify the election results. Thomas also attended the rally that preceded the Capitol attack and urged former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows to work on overturning the 2020 election results.
Committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson said on June 24 that he expected Thomas to appear before the committee, but said they hadn't yet agreed on "the parameters" for her interview.
But Paoletta in his letter expressed "serious concerns" about the committee's effort to meet with Thomas, and claimed "the Thomases have been subjected to an avalanche of death threats and other abuse." He claimed that he reviewed communications between Thomas and Eastman and found "not a single document" showing coordination between the two.
"And further, all of these emails were exchanged on or before December 9, before the electors met and were certified by each of their states," Paoletta wrote.
Regarding Thomas' communications with Meadows, Paoletta wrote she "simply expressed concerns about the 2020 election."
"Importantly, Mrs. Thomas never claimed to have first-hand knowledge about election fraud," Paoletta wrote.
The Jan. 6 committee in recent weeks has held several hearings to share information it has learned with the public. Meadows' former top aide, Cassidy Hutchinson, was the star witness of Tuesday's surprise hearing. Hutchinson testified that on Jan. 2, Meadows told her "things might get real, real bad on Jan. 6."
The Jan. 6 Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment.