GOP Rep. Scott Perry says it's a 'soulless lie' that he sought a pardon from Trump after Liz Cheney said he did

• A Republican lawmaker denied one of the most explosive claims made during a January 6 committee hearing.
• Rep. Scott Perry called it a "soulless lie" that he sought a pardon from Trump.

Republican Rep. Scott Perry blasted any suggestion that he sought a pardon from President Donald Trump for himself or others, rejecting an eyebrow-raising claim that was made during the House January 6 committee's first major public hearing the day before.

"The notion that I ever sought a Presidential pardon for myself or other Members of Congress is an absolute, shameless, and soulless lie," Perry wrote on Twitter Friday.

Rep. Liz Cheney, the top Republican on the panel, revealed on Thursday night that the committee uncovered evidence that Perry and other Republican lawmakers sought pardons from Trump in the wake of the January 6 insurrection, evidence that so far has not been presented to the public. Cheney's claim was one of the hearing's key moments.

"As you will see, Representative Perry contacted the White House in the weeks after January 6th to seek a Presidential Pardon," Cheney said during her opening statement. "Multiple other Republican congressmen also sought Presidential Pardons for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election."

Cheney pointed out that Perry has refused to testify before the panel. She said that Perry was one of the key people involved in an effort to get Jeff Clark, a Trump loyalist, installed as Attorney General so that the Justice Department could do Trump's bidding in investigating his debunked claims about widespread voter fraud.

Thursday's hearing was just the first part of the committee's slate set for this month. Cheney said that the panel intends to hold a hearing next week focused on the efforts to install Clark atop the DOJ.

Clark has invoked his 5th Amendment right and has also refused to testify. The select committee investigating the Capitol riot and what led up to it voted in December to hold Clark in contempt.

Representatives for the committee and Cheney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A Pennsylvania Republican, Perry objected to the certification of his own state's Electoral College results as a way to try to overturn Biden's win.