Jayapal asks the two groups to “thoroughly investigate” the activity of the three members of Congress – Republican Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Mo Brooks of Alabama and Paul Gosar of Arizona – in the run-up to the insurrection and forward all potential criminal offenses to the Department of Justice.
“It is clear what I believe to be a clear violation of our ethical standards and our responsibilities as members of Congress. This is what the House Ethics Committee can analyze,” Jaypal said in an interview with CNN. “But I also think that there are other pieces here that go beyond the simple service in the Chamber that are federal statutes. That is why we ask to be referred to the Public Ministry.”
All three Republican members denied responsibility for instigating the riot.
“Rep. Jaypal needs to spend more time investigating the insurrection that occurred in his own district over the summer and less time trying to connect to the attack on our Capitol that I repeatedly condemned,” Rep. Boebert said in a statement to CNN. Separately, in a tweet on January 18, Boebert wrote: “All allegations of my involvement in the January 6 attacks are categorically false. These lies are irresponsible and dangerous.”
Brooks, for example, had already released a long statement explaining the purpose of his speech on the day of the rally. He says it was about fighting at the polls, not with the aim of provoking real violence.
In a tweet on January 18, Boebert wrote “All allegations of my involvement in the January 6 attacks are categorically false. These lies are irresponsible and dangerous.”
Gosar’s denials were less clear. In a tweet that day, he posted a photo of protesters climbing a Capitol wall “let’s not get carried away”. He also encouraged those approaching the Capitol to “return”. However, in subsequent posts on the now-defunct social media platform Parler, he referred to the troublemakers and said, “Americans are upset.”
In the days following the deadly uprising, Democrats were quick to point the finger at some of their Republican colleagues for their close association with former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen. His criticisms ranged from accusing his colleagues of playing an indirect role in contributing to the violence to others claiming that they could be criminally responsible. Representative Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat from New Jersey, said that the day before unidentified Republican members were offering “reconnaissance” trips to potential insurrectionists.
Federal officials said they are investigating the possibility that some of those who participated in the riot may have received tours ahead of time, but did not go so far as to say that any lawmaker did so for the express purpose of helping protesters prepare to attack the Capitol . .
As investigations into January 6 continue, Jayapal fears that his Republican colleagues have not been held responsible for the role they have played.
“These three members seem to be encouraged by the fact that there was no responsibility for them. There was no responsibility, ”she said. “And that is unacceptable, I think, and that is why I am asking for these investigations.”
Federal investigators are examining records of communication between members of Congress and some of the suspects involved in the January 6 rebellion. An official told CNN last week that no member of Congress is being targeted for his investigation, but the probable cause must be discovered. it could lead to warrants to find out more about what was in that communication.
According to Jayapal, the Office of Congressional Ethics, which is an independent and non-partisan panel, will conduct a review of your complaint and will have 30 days to see if there is a reason for a full investigation. If that investigation comes to the conclusion that there is a substantial reason to believe that an offense has occurred, they will send a recommendation to the Chamber’s Ethics Committee, which will decide on a course of action. Separately, Jayapal is also directly asking the Committee, which is made up of members of Congress, to conduct its own investigation. Both the Office of Congressional Ethics and the House Committee on Ethics do not comment on the pending investigations.
Jayapal said that part of his motivation for pursuing these investigations is the continued concern of many members about their own personal safety within the corridors of Congress. The City Hall currently has metal detectors parked outside each entrance and the security posture throughout the Capitol Campus remains intense with barbed wire adorned with fences patrolled by thousands of National Guard soldiers.
Part of his concern is that the threat to his security could come from his colleague in Congress.
“I still worry about my security and protection when I’m inside Congress, not just when I leave,” said Jaypal. “And this is very worrying. I’ve only been here for four years, but I haven’t felt it before. And, and I feel it from my colleagues. I don’t know, who my colleagues are getting involved with, I don’t know what their role was. And I think this is part of the reason why these letters are so important. “
Jayapal is not the only Democrat to look at the role his colleagues may have played in the events leading up to January 6. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren recently released a 2,000-page report that described the social media activity of several Republican Party members before the insurrection.
This story was updated with further developments on Wednesday.