Matt Gaetz

Representatives Mo Brooks, Matt Gaetz, Andy Biggs, Louie Gohmert and Scott Perry were among the Republican members of Congress who asked President Donald ...

In response, he said Mr Engel told the president: “Absolutely I would, Mr President, you would leave me no choice.” Mr Brooks, an Alabama Republican, requested the pardon in an 11 January 2021 email to Mr Trump’s assistant, Molly Michael, which he wrote was being sent on behalf of himself and Mr Gaetz, a Florida Republican who is reportedly under investigation for sex trafficking. “This is obvious evidence of someone who believes they committed a crime and is concerned about being prosecuted – an innocent person does not ask for a pardon,” he said. He had initially resisted appearing, but when he did show up under the threat of a criminal referral for contempt of congress, he invoked his fifth amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times. I'm not working one minute for this guy [Mr Clark] who I just declared was completely incompetent.” The hearing focusing on his conduct in the days leading up to the Capitol attack comes as the department where he once served as a senior official is now investigating him for his role in Mr Trump’s plot to remain in power against the wishes of voters. Ms Hutchinson also said that congressman Jim Jordan talked about congressional pardons but didn’t specifically ask for one. One of the former officials who participated in the meeting, former acting deputy attorney general Richard Donoghue, described to the hearing how he and the other DOJ leaders told Mr Trump they would resign if he made Mr Clark – an environmental law specialist with no experience as a trial lawyer or prosecutor – their boss. Mr Perry, who has denied asking for a pardon, figured prominently in the panel’s Thursday presentation, during which former Trump-era Justice Department officials gave evidence regarding the Pennsylvania Republican’s role in a proposal pitched to Mr Trump by Jeffrey Clark, an environmental lawyer who was then the head of the department’s civil division. Mr Brooks added that he was recommending Mr Trump issue “general (all purpose) pardons” to all of the GOP members of the House and Senate who’d voted against certifying the 2020 election, as well as those who’d signed onto a legal brief urging the Supreme Court to throw out electoral votes from swing states won by Mr Biden. Cassidy Hutchinson, a former special assistant to the president, said Mr Gaetz and Mr Brooks had both advocated for a “blanket pardon” for members involved in a December meeting to plan for events on 6 January. Their names were revealed by the House January 6 select committee hearing on Thursday that focused on Mr Trump’s efforts to pressure the Department of Justice to assist in his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.