(Headline USA) The Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s, D-Calif., partisan Jan. 6 committee, alleging its attempted subpoenas are an abuse of power.
Last month, the committee issued a subpoena to Salesforce, a software company that the RNC has used for several years, requesting access to performance metrics and analytics related to email campaigns by or on behalf of former President Donald Trump. The committee argued this information was relevant to its investigation to prove that people were influenced by Trump’s statement and led some to storm the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6.
The RNC fired back and accused Pelosi and the Jan. 6 committee’s other members of “attempting to kneecap the RNC for political gain while trampling on free speech and freedom of political association.”
“The RNC is challenging this unconstitutional overreach so that one of America’s two major political parties may not use the force of government to unlawfully seize the private and sensitive information of the other,” RNC chief counsel Justin Riemer said in a statement.
The RNC added that the Jan. 6’s requests seek “unquestionably political information of the RNC” that is not limited to the Capitol riot. At risk here is confidential and “sensitive information about private individuals with whom the organization has engaged, ultimately helping develop and execute political strategies,” the RNC explained.
This “by any measure … exceeds the scope of Congress’ limited subpoena power,” the lawsuit states.
“The RNC had nothing to do with the violence that occurred at the Capitol and has repeatedly condemned it,” the RNC said in a statement.
“In fact, the RNC was a target of violence and had a bomb placed outside of RNC headquarters, which put our staff in immediate danger and is something the committee has yet to investigate.”
A Salesforce representative said the company would not comment on the lawsuit.
