Former Michigan Republican Chairwoman Laura Cox is being subpoenaed by a U.S. House committee that's investigating the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the nation's Capitol.
Cox is being ordered to provide documents before testifying March 8.
In a letter to Cox, the committee's Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Mississippi, says they're seeking information about Cox reportedly witnessing Donald Trump’s advisor Rudy Giuliani pressuring state lawmakers to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
In a statement, Cox says Giuliani's remarks are already a matter of a public record because he made them during a public Zoom conference hosted by Cox as well as during a presentation to Michigan's Legislature.
"In fact, three days later, NBC's Saturday Night Live did a viciously funny skit about that presentation," Cox said, referring to a skit in which Kate McKinnon played Giuliani. "So the Jan. 6th (committee) needs to do a public pronouncement about something already in the public realm? That reeks of partisanship and PR stunts."
The statement says Cox accepts that Democrat Joe Biden won the presidential election, but that she questioned “irregularities” in 2020 because, as a Republican Party leader, it was her job to advocate for Trump.
Cox served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2015 until 2019.
The committee has also subpoenaed two Michigan Republicans, Kathy Berden and Mayra Rodriguez, who signed a certificate falsely claiming they were designated to cast electoral college votes in favor of Trump. That’s despite Biden winning the state by more than 150,000 votes.
