Funviralpark Washington — Virginia Thomas, wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, said she regretted sending a text to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows after the 2020 election, House Jan. 6. He told the committee of the day: I was able to do it today.
Thomas, known as Ginny, is a longtime conservative activist. In a transcript of an interview released by the panel on Friday, she told investigators that she had sent several texts to Meadows after the election, falsely claiming that then-President Donald Trump had spread widely, so he He said he was “emotional” when he urged him to stand firm against . Election fraud.
In the text, she lamented the state of American politics and called the election “robbery.” I believe he is the president of the United States.
“You know, it was an emotional time,” Thomas told the committee. “I’m sorry, but these texts exist.”
A committee of nine called for an interview with Thomas, and she volunteered to appear. Investigators did not believe she played a major role in Trump’s efforts to overturn the election or his inaction in violent acts. Riots erupted. Her name never appeared in the commission’s final report released last week.
Still, the commission tried to talk to her as it produced a comprehensive account of the January 6, 2021 mutiny and the weeks before it. The chair and vice chair of the committee, Rep. Benny Thompson of Mississippi and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, said the commission was killed after her name surfaced in contacts with other witnesses. He said he wanted to talk to her.
Thomas’ attorney Mark Paoletta said in a statement Friday that her absence from the report was a “clear from the beginning” conclusion and that her post-election campaign was “minimal and mainstream.”
In interviews, Thomas characterized herself as an “instigator” of Groundswell and other conservative advocacy groups that have met weekly as a coalition over the years. is a longtime associate of conservative attorney John Eastman, the architect behind the plan to send Trump’s replacement electors instead of Biden to some of 2020’s battleground states.
Thomas was interested in pursuing the allegations of voter fraud, but felt her presence as Judge Thomas’ wife often “chilled” the debate, so during the aftermath of the election she almost She claimed to be acting separately from her husband.
“It is silly for anyone who knows my husband to think that I can influence his jurisprudence,” she said. ”
Through interviews, Thomas said he still had concerns about election fraud, but provided little evidence. Pressed by investigators about her post-election efforts to challenge the election results, Thomas filed a complaint.
When the panel told her that Trump’s attorney, Creta Mitchell, testified under oath that Thomas had asked her about possible fraud in the Georgia election, Thomas said she recalled the conversation. I said no.
“I have no recollection of it,” Thomas told investigators. “What I was doing was looking for election fraud and fraud, not to overturn an election.”
On more than one occasion, lawmakers dug deeper into Thomas’ responses – and she had few details to offer in return.
“I think I understand when you say you haven’t seen any fraud or cheating lists,” Cheney asked her at one point.
“Yes,” Thomas replied. “I know. I wasn’t very deep.
“But are you sure there was fraud or cheating?” Cheney continued.
“Congressman, I’ve heard it from many people I trust,” Thomas said.
Cheney asked Thomas if he knew that Trump’s own advisers, attorney general and others had told him there was no fraud that would change the outcome of the election.
“That was news to me, Congressman,” Thomas replied.
Cheney asked when he found out.
“I think this committee has been around for a while,” Thomas replied.
But Thomas said that even if he was aware, her views wouldn’t change.
Many times the committee confronted Thomas with her own words. Among them, in a text to Meadows a week after her election, she suggested that her attorney, Sidney Powell, “help the Cavalry come, expose the fraud, and America will be saved.” did. Powell was behind some of the most outrageous allegations by Trump’s allies, including foreign hacking of voting machines.
Thomas explained to investigators that he didn’t know Powell well at the time, and as he learns more in the coming weeks, “I got off that train.
She also reached out to Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, when she tried to encourage the team of the defeated president to investigate potential voter fraud after the 2020 election.
“I was trying to push him back and encourage him to stand firm until all the evidence was in place,” Thomas told investigators, writing to Kushner in an email.
At one point, she elicited sympathy from investigators.
“It could be the unanimous opinion of everyone in this conference call and in this room how many people want your text to be published on the front page of the Washington Post,” Thomas said. The first report of her communication.
California Rep. Adam Schiff, a Democratic member of the committee, said, “I understand that.” And I’m sure you’re right. I don’t think so.”
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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
