Topline

Right-wing activist Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, testified to the House January 6 Committee for several hours on Thursday, reversing course after she initially refused to testify in the probe amid controversy over her alleged efforts to help overturn the 2020 election—even as her husband considered cases on it.

Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, moderates a panel discussion on … [+] February 23, 2017 in National Harbor, Maryland.

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Key Facts

Thomas testified in person to the committee Thursday morning, with CNN reporting she sat for questioning for approximately four-and-a-half hours, including breaks.

Committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told reporters Thomas answered “some questions” from the committee and reiterated that she believes the 2020 election was “stolen,” an allegation for which there’s no evidence to support.

Thomas declined to answer questions from CNN about her testimony and if she had spoken with her husband about “the election being stolen,” only saying, “Thank you for your question, I look forward to answering members.”

Lawmakers initially asked Thomas to testify in June after it was reported she sent emails to Trump attorney John Eastman after the election, as he was trying to help former President Donald Trump challenge the results.

After initially suggesting she would testify, Thomas then refused, with her attorney Mark Paoletta sending an eight-page letter to the committee arguing lawmakers didn’t have “a sufficient basis” to speak with her because she hadn’t done anything wrong.

Paoletta then said on September 21 that Thomas had reached an agreement with the committee to testify, and committee chair Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said Wednesday her testimony would take place this week.

Crucial Quote

Thompson told reporters last week Thomas’ testimony would “[add] to the body of knowledge about whether or not she had additional information as to what went on, on January 6.”

Chief Critic

Thomas has denied discussing her work with her husband or having any influence on his work as a justice. Paoletta denied allegations that Thomas was personally involved with efforts to overturn the election in his letter to the committee and criticized its members as being biased against Thomas and her husband. “Given the animus already directed at Mrs. Thomas and Justice Thomas, I have serious concerns about the fairness of any interview,” Paoletta wrote.

What To Watch For

The House committee is expected to soon hold its first public hearing in months—and potentially its final hearing. The hearing was supposed to take place on Wednesday but was rescheduled due to Hurricane Ian. Thompson told reporters Thursday Thomas’ testimony could make it into the hearing ““if there’s something of merit,” CNN reports. The committee will then issue a final report detailing all its findings after the hearings have concluded, though it’s still unclear when exactly that will be.

Surprising Fact

Lawmakers initially declined to ask Thomas to testify before the emails between her and Eastman were reported, which the New York Times reported in March was due in part to objections from Republican committee member Rep. Liz Cheney (Wyo.). The Times reports there was resistance within the committee to going after Thomas because it could hurt Clarence Thomas’ reputation—three of his former clerks also have “major roles” in the investigation, the Times reports—and because committee members believed she was “a distraction from more important targets.”

Key Background

Thomas has drawn widespread scrutiny for her links to the wide-ranging effort to overturn the 2020 election, which were taking place as her husband considered lawsuits challenging the election results at the Supreme Court. In addition to her correspondence with Eastman, Thomas also exchanged text messages with then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in which she urged him to challenge the election results, and sent emails to lawmakers in multiple states pushing efforts to contest the vote count. A group she’s linked to was also involved with the “fake electors” scheme in which GOP officials submitted false slates of electors to Congress claiming Trump won their states, and she has said she was briefly present at the rally on January 6 that preceded the attack on the Capitol building. In his letter to lawmakers, Paoletta denied that any of her efforts constitute wrongdoing: her correspondence with Eastman was merely asking him to speak to one of her groups, her texts with Meadows were her “simply texting with a friend” and the emails she sent to lawmakers were form letters that Thomas did not draft or edit herself, and she “simply pushed a few buttons,” Paoletta alleged.

Further Reading

Ginni Thomas Won’t Testify to Jan. 6 Committee, Lawyer Says — Here’s What We Know About Her Efforts To Overturn The Election (Forbes)

Ginni Thomas—Wife Of Supreme Court Justice—Reportedly Pressured Wisconsin Lawmakers To Overturn 2020 Election (Forbes)

Ginni Thomas agrees to January 6 committee interview (CNN)

Ginni Thomas to speak to House Jan. 6 committee this week, chair Thompson says (CBS News)

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