Supreme Court Associate Judge Clarence Thomas is sitting with his wife and conservative activist Virginia Thomas while he speaks to the Heritage Foundation on October 21, 2021 in Washington, DC.
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The chairman of the House of Representatives’ election commission investigating the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, said Thursday that the committee would invite Virginia “Ginny” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, to testify. efforts to reverse Donald Trump’s presidency electoral loss.
The unveiling of Ginny Thomas’ planned invitation came a day after a report that the commission had received emails between her and John Eastman, a lawyer advising Trump on the 2020 election.
Eastman was a staunch supporter of the Trump Plan and others to get then-Vice President Mike Pence to block Congressional certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.
The commission is scheduled to hold its third public hearing on Jan. 6 on Thursday afternoon, focusing on the details of Trump’s pressure on Pence, who declined to agree to the plan.
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“We think it’s time to invite her at some point [Ginni Thomas] to come talk to the committee, “said Benny Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the committee, shortly before the scheduled start of the hearing.
Thompson said the planned call was based on “the information we came across.” He later said an invitation to Thomas would be issued in the next few weeks.
Asked if the commission would summon Thomas if she refused to testify voluntarily, Thompson said: “Well, we’ll see what happens. And we’ll move on.”
Aide to Republican Liz Cheney of Wyoming, one of only two Republicans on the committee on Jan. 6, said Cheney also agreed it was time for Ginny Thomas to be interviewed by the committee.
Cheney has reportedly been reluctant to call Ginny Thomas to testify.
The Washington Post, citing people involved in the panel’s investigation, said Thomas’s involvement in trying to reverse Trump’s loss was wider than previously known.
The New York Times reported that Eastman told another pro-Trump lawyer and Trump campaign officials on December 24, 2020, that they said they were aware of a “heated battle” between Supreme Court judges over whether that court should is considering cases involving Trump’s bid to overturn election results in several key states.
Eastman had previously served as a Supreme Court official for Judge Thomas.
A spokeswoman for the Supreme Court did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Kevin Brewinger of CNBC contributed to this article.
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