House Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Kevin McCarthy for his communications with Trump around time of the Capitol attack

• The House Jan. 6 panel has subpoenaed Kevin McCarthy over his communications with Trump.
• McCarthy declined to answer when repeatedly asked if he would comply with the subpoena.

The House committee investigating the January 6 riot subpoenaed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Thursday, a sign that the panel will not shy away from securing the testimony of top Republicans.

Lawmakers on the panel want to hear from McCarthy about his communications with President Donald Trump before, during, and after January 6, 2021. In particular, the panel is interested in McCarthy's reportedly tense phone call with Trump that occurred as rioters were still ransacking the Capitol.

"The Select Committee has learned that several of our colleagues have information relevant to our investigation into the attack on January 6th and the events leading up to it," Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat who chairs the committee, said in a statement. "Regrettably, the individuals receiving subpoenas today have refused and we're forced to take this step to help ensure the committee uncovers facts concerning January 6th."

McCarthy ignored a barrage of questions about whether he would comply with the select committee's subpoena. "I haven't seen the subpoena," he told reporters at the US Capitol on Thursday.

He further deflected by bringing up rising inflation and the dearth of baby formula as reporters kept pressing him about answering the committee's questions about January 6.

The House panel also issued subpoenas for four other Republican lawmakers: Reps. Scott Perry, Jim Jordan, Mo Brooks, and Andy Biggs. Like McCarthy, the four other congressmen have all thus far declined to voluntarily cooperate with the investigation. Spokespeople for Brooks and Biggs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jordan, an Ohio Republican and Trump ally, told Insider he hadn't seen the subpoena yet — then started making a case for why he likely won't talk willingly any time soon.

"We sent a letter out in early January that laid out all our concerns. Like the one where they took evidence, altered it, and lied to the country about it," Jordan said of his longstanding reservations about testifying, adding, "Actually, we have more concerns now."

Perry, like McCarthy, declined to directly answer questions about whether he would comply with the subpoena. At the same time, he slammed the panel's action.

"This is proof positive that this is about headlines," Perry told reporters, per CBS News' Zak Hudak. "This is all about distracting America from their abysmal record of running America into the ground."

It's unclear how the panel will proceed in the likely scenario that some or all of the Republican lawmakers refuse to cooperate. The panel has moved to hold recalcitrant witnesses in contempt, but that's so far been limited to Trump administration officials. A move to hold their own colleagues in contempt would mark a major escalation and would almost certainly result in a protracted court battle.

When asked if he feared retribution from Republicans should they flip the House this fall, Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, who also serves on the January 6 panel, said personal safety is the least of his concerns.

"What I'm most concerned about, if the Republicans should ever get near the gavel, is that they will overturn the next election if Trump loses again," Schiff told reporters staking out McCarthy's office.

"They have proven themselves so recklessly irresponsible, they cannot be allowed to govern," he added. "And if they are, we'll have a lot more to worry about as a democracy than anything they'll do with subpoenas."

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who also serves on the select committee, brushed aside questions about how Democratic leaders might enforce the latest batch of subpoenas.

"We have every reason to believe that members of Congress will comply with their legal and moral duty to participate, just as the vast majority of people have participated and cooperated with the investigation," Raskin told reporters outside the House chamber, seconds after Perry sped by.

McCarthy's call with Trump repeatedly came up as the House considered and later impeached the president for inciting the Capitol riot. Trump reportedly cursed at McCarthy and told the GOP leader of the rioters, "Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are."

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, cited what McCarthy told her about his conversation with the president in her statement explaining her vote.

"House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy describes pleading with the President to go on television and call for an end to the mayhem, to no avail," she said at the time.

McCarthy once supported a 9/11-style commission probe into the insurrection. But he later withdrew his support for such an idea. He has repeatedly blasted the House select committee, which was formed after Senate Republicans blocked the formation of an independent commission. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also took the unprecedented step of refusing to seat some of McCarthy's picks on the panel, another major flashpoint for McCarthy.

Rep. Liz Cheney, once the No. 3 House Republican, serves as the vice-chair of the panel. Cheney and McCarthy used to be close allies, but their relationship has rapidly deteriorated in the wake of January 6. McCarthy currently supports a primary challenger to Cheney.

All of the subpoenas demand that the Republican lawmakers appear for depositions by the end of the month.