McCarthy warns telecommunications and social media companies to comply with committee’s January 6 registration requests

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“If these companies comply with the Democratic order to deliver private information, they are violating federal law and are subject to loss of their ability to operate in the United States,” the California Republican said in a statement. posted to Twitter. “If companies continue to choose to violate federal law, a Republican majority will not be forgotten and will stay with the Americans to hold them fully accountable under the law.”

McCarthy’s office would not provide CNN with a specific federal statute that a company would violate if it complied with a properly paneled Congressional committee.

The selection committee took its first step in the investigation process on Monday, requesting that more than 30 social media and telecommunications companies keep the telephone records of certain lawmakers and members of the orbit of former President Donald Trump that they played a role in the “Stop the Robbery” rally that served as a prelude to the Capitol insurrection.

Although the committee did not make public the names of the legislators to whom the record was addressed, several sources familiar with the group’s work have confirmed to CNN that the records of several members of Congress are among those the committee would like to keep. .

The committee has not formally requested any documents, but has just requested that records be kept in case the probe requires them. McCarthy’s suggestion that cooperation with the committee might be illegal may make it difficult to obtain records for the committee.

A committee spokesman said Tuesday later that the threat would not affect his work.

“The selection committee is investigating the violent attack on the Capitol and trying to nullify the results of last year’s election. We have asked companies not to destroy records that could help answer questions for the American people.” said spokesman Tim Mulvey in a statement. on CNN. “The committee’s efforts will not be deterred by those who want to whitewash or cover up the January 6 events or hinder our investigation.”

McCarthy also accused the select committee of private companies of firearms, specifically naming in his statement to the chair the committee Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and the representative Adam Schiff, both Democrats of California.

It is unclear what means the committee will use to force telecommunications companies to cooperate with its request. The committee has a power of summons, but soliciting information, especially from members of Congress, could lead to a long legal battle.

As previously reported by CNN, McCarthy’s name was not on the initial list of names the committee sent to companies for record-keeping, according to sources.

Still, the content of the congressman’s call to Trump during the height of the riot is expected to be of great interest to the committee, and Thompson has not repeatedly ruled out calling McCarthy to testify before the committee if that’s where he’s leading the research.

CNN’s Zachary Cohen and Whitney Wild contributed to this report.

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