HARRISBURG (Pa.) — The Republican nomination for Pennsylvania governor sued the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol. He challenged its legal authority to make him answer questions.
Doug Mastriano filed a lawsuit claiming that the House committee does not have appointees for Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and therefore is not in compliance with House rules regarding the compelled depositions of witnesses.
A properly-appointed ranking minority member is required for witness access to House rules regarding deposition authority. The lawsuit states.
Mastriano stopped a closed-door interview last month without answering any questions from members of the committee. Mastriano was not allowed to record the deposition by the committee, according to Mastriano’s lawsuit. Mastriano also expressed concerns over how Mastriano might be able to share excerpts from the closed-door interview with him to the general public, the lawsuit stated.
A spokesperson for the committee declined to comment on this lawsuit filed in Washington federal court.
Mastriano’s lawyer Timothy Parlatore has stated that his client will testify before the panel. He also told the FBI that the FBI didn’t know of any planned insurrection.
Mastriano was a former U.S. Army Colonel who won the GOP nomination to governor. He kept in touch with Donald Trump throughout his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden.
Mastriano was a key organizer in Pennsylvania for the submission of alternate presidential electors to Trump. He could be seen at the Capitol watching as pro-Trump protestors attacked police officers.
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