Ginni Thomas , wife ofSupreme Court JusticeClarence Thomas , was asked to speak to the Jan. 6 panel.- In a letter, her lawyer questioned the justification for her testimony and said it was a "particularly stressful time" for her.
The attorney for Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, questioned the need for her testimony before the January 6 committee and said it had been a "particularly stressful time" amid recent Supreme Court rulings.
The House committee investigating the Capitol riot requested a voluntary interview with Thomas earlier this month over her efforts to overturn the 2020 election. She did not formally accept the invitation but said two weeks ago that she "can't wait" to speak to the panel.
But in an an eight-page letter sent to the panel on Tuesday, Thomas' attorney, Mark Paoletta, wrote that he had "serious concerns" about the interview and asked the committee to "provide a better justification" for why her testimony would be relevant. The letter was first obtained by The Daily Caller.
Paoletta added in his letter: "I would also note that this has been a particularly stressful time as the Thomases have been subjected to an avalanche of death threats and other abuse by the unprecedented assault on the conservative Supreme Court Justices and their families."
He does not specify what recent Supreme Court rulings prompted the threats.
Earlier this month, Justice Clarence Thomas was part of the Supreme Court majority that voted to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling last week. In his opinion, Thomas also called for the reconsideration of the Supreme Court's precedents for cases regarding contraceptive access, same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage.
The Supreme Court also struck down a New York law restricting gun-carrying right. Both decisions have sparked protests.
Paoletta defends Thomas' communication with Trump allies
In his letter, Paoletta also said the committee was seeking Ginni Thomas' testimony in part because of her documented conversations with allies of former President Donald in support of their efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The Washington Post reported in March that Thomas texted then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows after the election and urged him to take steps to overturn the results.
Paoletta defended the exchange in the letter and wrote that Thomas had corresponded with Meadows as a "private citizen" who was "simply texting a friend."
As the wife of a Supreme Court justice, Thomas' conduct has raised ethical and legal questions.
"Importantly, Mrs. Thomas never claimed to have first-hand knowledge about election fraud. Rather, she states that she was just passing along information that she had heard from others," he added.
Paoletta also made reference to emails Thomas sent to John Eastman, the Trump lawyer who drafted a memo detailing a plan to block the certification of President Joe Biden's victory.
"Mrs. Thomas was not, and is not, familiar with Mr. Eastman's specific litigation efforts," Paoletta said.
Thomas told The Daily Caller earlier this month that she was looking forward to speaking to the committee "to clear up misconceptions." She did not state what those misconceptions might be.