Jan. 6 panel: Gohmert, others sought pardons
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas was one of a handful of Republicans in Congress who asked former President Donald Trump for a pardon after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to testimony shown by the House committee investigating the insurrection.
Witnesses told the committee that the president had considered offering pardons to several individuals, said U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican on the committee.
Cassidy Hutchison, who served as an aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, said in recorded testimony shown Thursday that the Tyler Republican was one of the members who had sought a pardon. Others included U.S. Reps. Matt Gaetz of Florida, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
“The only reason I
know to ask for a pardon is because you think you’ve committed a crime,” Kinzinger said.
Gohmert did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He was a close ally of Trump’s in seeking to turn over the election results, including suing former Vice President Mike Pence in December 2020 in an effort to force Pence to reject the results when Congress convened to certify President Joe Biden’s electoral win.
Gohmert also supported Attorney General Ken Paxton’s failed lawsuit to overturn election results in four battleground states.
Gohmert has also been a vocal defender of the Jan. 6 rioters, calling them “political prisoners held hostage by their own government.”
Gohmert announced his retirement from Congress in November and ran an unsuccessful primary challenge against Paxton, drawing 17 percent of the vote in a fourway race.