Democratic Representative Bennie Thompson, who chairs the special committee, on Sunday (January 2) told NBC News that his panel was examining whether it could lawfully subpoena current members of Congress.
QUOTE: "I think there are some questions of whether we have the authority to do it," Thompson said, according to an interview transcript. "We're looking at it. If the authorities are there, there'll be no reluctance on our part."
The panel is investigating the day thousands of supporters of former President Donald Trump - egged on by false claims of election fraud - attacked police, vandalized the Capitol and sent lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence running for their lives.
The committee also wants to know what happened inside the White House, and is seeking communications between Trump allies in Congress and the former president's staff.
Multiple people close to Trump, including conservative media TV hosts, urged him during the riot to make a televised speech telling his supporters to stop the attack.
Trump waited hours before releasing a prerecorded message.
The special committee last month sent a letter to Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican and ardent Trump ally, asking for testimony about his telephone conversations with Trump on the day of the riot.
Jordan said in a recent Fox News interview that he had "real concerns" about the committee's credibility, but was reviewing its letter to him.
The committee sent a similar letter to Republican Representative Scott Perry.
Perry declined to cooperate, posting on Twitter that the committee "is illegitimate, and not duly constituted."
An appeals court ruled earlier in 2021 that the committee was legitimate and entitled to see White House records Trump has tried to shield from public view.
