WASHINGTON (AP) – The House panel investigating the Jan.6 U.S. Capitol uprising on Monday requested an interview and documents from Republican Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, marking the first time the committee has publicly sought to sit down with a sitting member of Congress.

The latest request kicks off a new phase for commission lawmakers, who have so far refused to contact one of their own as they investigate the insurgency by supporters of President Donald Trump and his efforts to overturn the election . Perry and other Congressional Republicans met with Trump before the attack and worked out a strategy on how they could block the results in the Jan. 6 election count.

In a letter to Perry, Mississippi Representative Bennie Thompson, the Democratic panel chairman, said the panel had received evidence from several witnesses, including Acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and Acting Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue , that Perry had “an important role” in efforts to install Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark as Acting Attorney General.

The letter requests an interview with Perry, who pushed the Justice Department to call off the election and met with Trump before the violent attack, investigators said. The panel also requested all documents and correspondence between Perry and Trump, his legal team, or anyone involved in planning the events of January 6.

A request for comment left at Perry’s office was not immediately returned.

The lawmaker representing the 10th District of Pennsylvania was cited more than 50 times in a Senate Judiciary Report released in October describing how Trump’s efforts to reverse his 2020 electoral defeat brought the Justice Department to the brink of chaos and instigated senior officials there and in the White House to threaten to resign.

Perry, who has continuously disputed the validity of President Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, said he granted Trump’s request to be presented to Clark, then Deputy Attorney General Perry knew about unrelated legislative matters. . The three then discussed their common concerns about the election, Perry said.

The Justice Department has found no evidence of widespread fraud in Pennsylvania or any other state, and senior justice officials have dismissed Perry’s claims.

The recent Senate report describes a call Perry made to Donoghue last December to tell him the ministry was not doing its job on the election. Perry encouraged Donoghue to seek help from Clark because he’s “the kind of guy who could really go in there and do something about it,” the report said.

Perry has previously said his “official communications” with Justice Department officials comply with the law.

The letter sent Monday night is the first time the panel has issued a request to another congressman as it investigates Trump’s communications with his Republican allies. But the panel notably did not subpoena Perry, as he has other witnesses close to Trump who lawmakers say have relevant information.

In his letter to Perry, Thompson added that the panel “has immense respect for the prerogatives of Congress and the privacy of its members. At the same time, we have a solemn responsibility to thoroughly investigate all these facts and circumstances. “

The panel voted in November to despise Clark after he showed up for a deposition but declined to answer questions. But Thompson said he would stay the prosecution and allow Clark to attend another deposition and try again. Clark’s attorney said Clark intended to assert his Fifth Amendment right not to self-incriminate, but the deposition was repeatedly postponed as Clark dealt with an unidentified health issue.

The panel has already interviewed around 300 people in an attempt to create a comprehensive record of the attack and the events leading up to it.

At the time, Trump was pushing false claims of widespread electoral fraud and pressuring Vice President Mike Pence and Republican members of Congress to try to overturn the tally during congressional certification on Jan.6. Election officials across the country, as well as the courts, have repeatedly rejected Trump’s claims.

An angry crowd of Trump supporters echoed his false claims as they brutally beat Capitol Police and stormed into the building that day, disrupting Biden’s certification of victory.

In his request to meet with Perry, Thompson wrote, “We would love to meet with you soon to discuss these topics, but we also want to accommodate your schedule. “

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