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US House January 6 committee subpoenas MI Republicans

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The U.S. Capitol Building

Two Michigan Republicans are on a list of people subpoenaed Friday by the US House committee investigating the January 6th insurrection.

Kathy Berden is a Republican National Committeewoman from Michigan and Mayra Rodriguez is a party activist who ran unsuccessfully for a state House seat.

Both were listed as presidential electors from Michigan for Donald Trump in a list sent by Trump supporters to the National Archives, which rejected the attempt because the former president lost both the popular and Electoral College votes.

Efforts to reach Berden and Rodriguez for comment were unsuccessful. Both were sent letters signed by Representative Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi who chairs the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. From the letter:

The Select Committee is investigating the facts, circumstances, and causes of the January 6th attack and issues relating to the peaceful transfer of power, in order to identify and evaluate lessons learned and to recommend to the House and its relevant committee's corrective laws, policies, procedures, rules, or regulations.

The inquiry includes an examination of how various individuals and entities coordinated their activities leading up to the events of January 6, 2021.

Also:

Based on publicly available information and information provided to the Select Committee, we believe that you have documents and information that are relevant to the Select Committee’s investigation. For example, according to documents sent to the National Archives, you were a purported Electoral College elector who met with other purported electors on or about December 14, 2020 to cast votes for former President Trump and former Vice President Pence despite the fact that your state had made a final determination that Joseph Biden, Jr. and Kamala Harris were the winners of the November 2020 presidential election and the appointment of their electors had been certified.

The House committee chair wants to ask about planning and coordination of efforts to falsify the election results. Those efforts included sending a false slate of Michigan electors to the National Archives. Subpoenas were also sent to a dozen other sham electors in other states.

A link to the subpoena sent to Berden:

https://january6th.house.gov/sites/democrats.january6th.house.gov/files/2022-1-28.BGT%20Letter%20to%20Berden%20-%20Cover%20Letter%20and%20Schedule_Redacted.pdf

Rick Pluta is Senior Capitol Correspondent for the Michigan Public Radio Network. He has been covering Michigan’s Capitol, government, and politics since 1987. His journalism background includes stints with UPI, The Elizabeth (NJ) Daily Journal, The (Pontiac, MI) Oakland Press, and WJR. He is also a lifelong public radio listener.
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