House GOP Leader McCarthy threatens companies that cooperate with Jan. 6 probe

McCarthy threatened telecommunications companies after the House select committee asked them to preserve records, phone data.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday warned dozens of communications companies against cooperating with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, saying that Republicans "will not forget" it if they retake the House. His broadside was immediately criticized by Democrats and ethics experts, who accused him of violating House ethics rules and likened the statement to tampering with the congressional investigation. Democrats' "attempts to strong-arm private companies to turn over individuals' private data would put every American with a phone or computer in the crosshairs of a surveillance state run by Democrat politicians," McCarthy said in a statement posted to Twitter. The select committee asked 35 companies on Monday to preserve records that could be relevant to its investigation into the Capitol attack and "efforts to delay or interfere" with the transfer of power after the 2020 election, which could be a precursor to more targeted subpoenas compelling the production of records.