A separate source said the emails were part of a tranche of messages provided to the committee after a federal judge ruled that Eastman’s correspondence was pertinent to the committee’s work investigating former President Donald Trump and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the months leading up to January 6.
Thomas did not respond to a CNN request for comment. Attorneys for Eastman declined to comment, as did a spokesperson for the House select committee.
Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, a member of the committee, would not confirm that it was in possession of the emails but told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Wednesday night that the hearings would include only content the committee thought was specific to the focus of its investigation.
“The committee won’t be shy about seeking additional information from people that have information relevant to the investigation,” Aguilar told Cooper in response to a question about adding Thomas to the committee’s hearings.
“We’re not talking about specifics, but these hearings are pretty well firm and locked in, and we look forward to piecing this puzzle together for the American public and sharing what we know to date,” the California Democrat continued.
Clarence Thomas participated in Supreme Court cases related to 2020 election controversies and, in one February 2021 opinion, dissented as the full court declined to take up a challenge to Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting procedures. He demonstrated support for the claim that election fraud is a threat to America.
“We are fortunate that many of the cases we have seen alleged only improper rule changes, not fraud. But that observation provides only small comfort,” he wrote. “An election free from strong evidence of systemic fraud is not alone sufficient for election confidence.” No other justice joined his opinion.
This past January, Thomas dissented alone as the court allowed the National Archives to release thousands of documents from the Trump White House to the January 6 committee, over the former President’s attempt to assert executive privilege.
Thomas has refused to recuse himself in 2020 election-related cases.
Sources said the House select committee has contemplated making Ginni Thomas’ role in the attempt to overturn the election part of its investigation, but it has yet to call her in to testify or to issue her a subpoena.
More News
Israel Says It Has ‘Tactical Control’ of Gaza Corridor Bordering Egypt
Home Insurance Is Clobbering Consumers. Yet It’s Barely Counted as Inflation.
What Penalties Could Trump Face if He Is Convicted?