The January Sixth hearings have so far provided compelling and explosive details about efforts from former President Trump and his inner circle to try and circumvent the 2020 election, which was won by President Joe Biden. Yesterday’s hearing also offered a new fact: Texas Congressman Louie Gohmert was part of a cohort of congressional Republicans that tried to acquire a presidential pardon for their role in the Insurrection.
At the opening hearing, co-chair of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, Rep. Liz Cheney said that Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) had sought a presidential pardon, and that other members of Congress followed his lead. On Thursday, at the fifth hearing, the Committee played video of a deposition from Cassidy Hutchison, a former aide to White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, who confirmed that Gohmert wanted a pardon.
Congressman Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the committee, led Thursday’s hearing and offered his own thoughts on colleagues seeking presidential pardons. “The only reason I know to ask for a pardon is because you think you’ve committed a crime,” he said.
Gohmert’s involvement in the lead-up to the Insurrection was significant. In December 2020, he sued Mike Pence, claiming that the Vice President had the ability to overturn the electoral college. That lawsuit was tossed, but Gohmert would appear on Newsmax and encourage supporters of the former president to “go to the streets.”
Gohmert currently represents Texas in congressional district one, but he opted to not run for re-election and tried to oust indicted Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Republican primary. He came in fourth, behind Land Commissioner George P. Bush and Republican Member of the Texas Supreme Court Eva Guzman.
Gohmert’s campaign Twitter feed, which still says he is a candidate for Attorney General, has not sent anything since March 1, the date of the Texas primary. His official congressional account, however, remains active. He recently blasted President Biden for celebrating the availability of COVID-19 vaccines for children six-months to five-years-old. And after the tragic shooting in Uvalde at Robb Elementary, he took to the congressional floor to claim that eliminating prayer in school is the cause for mass shootings.
Original photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons
A longtime writer and journalist, Jessica was thrilled to join the Texas Signal where she could utilize her unique perspective on politics and culture. As the Features and Opinion Editor, she is responsible for coordinating editorials and segments from diverse authors. She is also the host of the podcast the Tex Mix, as well as the co-host for the weekly SignalCast. Jessica attended Harvard College, is a onetime fitness blogger, and has now transitioned to recreational runner (for which her joints are thankful).
