WATCH: Trump Officials Name Members of Congress Who Sought Pardons After Jan. 6
The Jan. 6 House Select Committee aired testimony from Trump administration officials alleging members of Congress asked former President Donald Trump for pre-emptive pardons in the wake of the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The committee obtained emails from Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), sent five days after the Capitol riot, in which he pushed for pardons for Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) as well as members of Congress who objected to the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.
The committee then aired testimony from three former White House staffers — lawyer Eric Herschmann, aide Cassidy Hutchinson, and Trump adviser John McEntee — who identified several lawmakers they said approached the administration for pardons.
Herschmann said Gaetz sought a pardon with a purview “as broad as you could describe.”
McEntee confirmed that Gaetz told him personally he asked for a pardon.
Hutchinson said Gaetz and Brooks “advocated for a blanket pardon” for a group of pro-Trump lawmakers, and that Gaetz was “personally pushing” for his own pardon.
Hutchinson, who was an aide to Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, said Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) also asked for pardons.
She said that while Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) spoke about pardons, she did not hear him specifically ask for one.
At an earlier hearing, the committee said Perry, who was allegedly involved with the plan to make Jeff Clark attorney general, asked Trump for a pardon. Perry denied that claim.
Trump ultimately did not issue any pardons to members of Congress, or anyone else involved in the efforts to overturn the election.
Watch the full clip above via MSNBC