January 6 committee debating bringing Ginni Thomas before panel

CNN  — 

Members of the House Select Committee investigating January 6 are discussing whether to call Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, to come before the panel, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

While some members have raised the possibility of inviting Thomas to voluntarily appear before the committee or even compelling her testimony by issuing a subpoena, there is little indication the idea has picked up serious traction so far, the sources added.

The discussions have touched on whether Thomas’ testimony would be directly relevant to their investigation and if they need to reach out to her directly.

RELATED: January 6 committee has text messages between Ginni Thomas and Mark Meadows

Members are also weighing the political cost of calling such a prominent witness and the optics of questioning a sitting Supreme Court justice’s wife against the possibility that ultimately she might not cooperate or provide information. They are concerned she could create a showdown that could distract from their overall mission.

Justice Thomas and Ginni Thomas both declined to answer questions from CNN on Friday.

“No thank you,” said Justice Thomas, dressed in a blue button-down shirt and standing inside his garage when CNN asked to speak with him. Ginni Thomas walked away without commenting.

Ginni Thomas has come under scrutiny after CNN reported text messages she exchanged with former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows between November 2020 and January 2021.

RELATED: What do Ginni Thomas’ texts mean for Justice Thomas? At the Supreme Court, it’s up to him.

The 29 text messages between Thomas and Meadows known to be in the committee’s possession show she repeatedly pushed Trump’s top aide to continue fighting to overturn the 2020 election.

A select committee spokesperson would not comment on Thomas specifically but told CNN that the panel has not ruled out issuing subpoenas to anyone.