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U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) speaks during a news conference with members of the House Freedom Caucus outside the U.S. Capitol on February 28, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
"Ok, we know Scott Perry. Who were the other members of Congress who asked Trump for a pardon?"
"We look forward to all participants in this insurrection being held accountable."
That's what the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and others wanted to know after U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said Thursday night that the Pennsylvania Republican was among multiple GOP members of Congress who sought a pardon from then-President Donald Trump early last year.
"Rep. Scott Perry... has refused to testify here," said Cheney, vice chair of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, during the panel's public prime-time hearing.
"As you will see, Rep. Perry contacted the White House in the weeks after January 6 to seek a presidential pardon," Cheney continued. "Multiple other Republican congressmen also sought presidential pardons for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election."
Perry claimed Friday that "the notion that I ever sought a presidential pardon for myself or other members of Congress is an absolute, shameless, and soulless lie."
Meanwhile, Common Cause Pennsylvania executive director Khalif Ali said Friday morning that "we are deeply concerned by Vice Chair Cheney's statement" and "voters deserve to have elected officials who respect our votes, regardless of the outcome."
Ali continued:
What we have seen, since the November 2020 election, indicates that Rep. Perry and others acted to force the election outcome they wanted--rather than accept the decision made by voters.
The rule of law must apply to everyone. We look forward to hearing more from the select committee about their evidence that Rep. Perry sought a preemptive presidential pardon. Seeking a pardon is not a step taken lightly and indicates that Rep. Perry knew that his actions ran counter to his constitutional duty.
"We appreciate the diligence with which the select committee has been conducting its investigation," he added. "We look forward to all participants in this insurrection being held accountable."
Cheney's statement comes after CNN reported just before Trump left office last year that his legal advisers had warned him that "pardons for Republican lawmakers who had sought them for their role in the Capitol insurrection would anger the very Senate Republicans who will determine his fate" in his historic second impeachment trial.
The committee chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), confirmed to CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju after the hearing Thursday that "we have documentation" of multiple Republicans who sought pardons from Trump and "that will come out in our hearings."
Related Content

Another member of the nine-person panel, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), told Raju that "it's hard to find a more explicit statement of consciousness of guilt than looking for a pardon for actions you've just taken, assisting in a plan to overthrow the results of a presidential election."
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), who is not on the committee, declared Friday that "House Republicans lobbied for presidential pardons after January 6th because they were complicit in an attempt to violently overthrow the U.S. government."
In a series of tweets late Thursday and early Friday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) asked the House GOP--and some specific members--if they asked Trump for pardons.
Ocasio-Cortez specifically took aim at GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Andrew Clyde (Ga.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). She was also among several Democrats who confirmed that they had not requested a pardon from the former Republican president.
"Ok I will start. I didn't ask for a pardon," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) tweeted late Thursday. "I am not kidding about this. Every single member should answer this simple question."
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) responded that "I'll get this ball rolling on the House side. I didn't ask for a pardon."
Democrats who posted similar comments on social media in the wake of Thursday's hearing include Reps. Alma Adams (N.C.), Sean Casten (Ill.), Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (Ill.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.), Chellie Pingree (Maine), Mark Pocan (Wis.), Mike Quigley (Ill.), Mary Gay Scanlon (Pa.), Juan Vargas (Calif.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), and Nikema Williams (Ga.).
The committee's next two hearings are scheduled for 10:00 am ET on Monday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 15.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
"Ok, we know Scott Perry. Who were the other members of Congress who asked Trump for a pardon?"
"We look forward to all participants in this insurrection being held accountable."
That's what the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and others wanted to know after U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said Thursday night that the Pennsylvania Republican was among multiple GOP members of Congress who sought a pardon from then-President Donald Trump early last year.
"Rep. Scott Perry... has refused to testify here," said Cheney, vice chair of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, during the panel's public prime-time hearing.
"As you will see, Rep. Perry contacted the White House in the weeks after January 6 to seek a presidential pardon," Cheney continued. "Multiple other Republican congressmen also sought presidential pardons for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election."
Perry claimed Friday that "the notion that I ever sought a presidential pardon for myself or other members of Congress is an absolute, shameless, and soulless lie."
Meanwhile, Common Cause Pennsylvania executive director Khalif Ali said Friday morning that "we are deeply concerned by Vice Chair Cheney's statement" and "voters deserve to have elected officials who respect our votes, regardless of the outcome."
Ali continued:
What we have seen, since the November 2020 election, indicates that Rep. Perry and others acted to force the election outcome they wanted--rather than accept the decision made by voters.
The rule of law must apply to everyone. We look forward to hearing more from the select committee about their evidence that Rep. Perry sought a preemptive presidential pardon. Seeking a pardon is not a step taken lightly and indicates that Rep. Perry knew that his actions ran counter to his constitutional duty.
"We appreciate the diligence with which the select committee has been conducting its investigation," he added. "We look forward to all participants in this insurrection being held accountable."
Cheney's statement comes after CNN reported just before Trump left office last year that his legal advisers had warned him that "pardons for Republican lawmakers who had sought them for their role in the Capitol insurrection would anger the very Senate Republicans who will determine his fate" in his historic second impeachment trial.
The committee chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), confirmed to CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju after the hearing Thursday that "we have documentation" of multiple Republicans who sought pardons from Trump and "that will come out in our hearings."
Related Content

Another member of the nine-person panel, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), told Raju that "it's hard to find a more explicit statement of consciousness of guilt than looking for a pardon for actions you've just taken, assisting in a plan to overthrow the results of a presidential election."
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), who is not on the committee, declared Friday that "House Republicans lobbied for presidential pardons after January 6th because they were complicit in an attempt to violently overthrow the U.S. government."
In a series of tweets late Thursday and early Friday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) asked the House GOP--and some specific members--if they asked Trump for pardons.
Ocasio-Cortez specifically took aim at GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Andrew Clyde (Ga.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). She was also among several Democrats who confirmed that they had not requested a pardon from the former Republican president.
"Ok I will start. I didn't ask for a pardon," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) tweeted late Thursday. "I am not kidding about this. Every single member should answer this simple question."
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) responded that "I'll get this ball rolling on the House side. I didn't ask for a pardon."
Democrats who posted similar comments on social media in the wake of Thursday's hearing include Reps. Alma Adams (N.C.), Sean Casten (Ill.), Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (Ill.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.), Chellie Pingree (Maine), Mark Pocan (Wis.), Mike Quigley (Ill.), Mary Gay Scanlon (Pa.), Juan Vargas (Calif.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), and Nikema Williams (Ga.).
The committee's next two hearings are scheduled for 10:00 am ET on Monday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 15.
"Ok, we know Scott Perry. Who were the other members of Congress who asked Trump for a pardon?"
"We look forward to all participants in this insurrection being held accountable."
That's what the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and others wanted to know after U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said Thursday night that the Pennsylvania Republican was among multiple GOP members of Congress who sought a pardon from then-President Donald Trump early last year.
"Rep. Scott Perry... has refused to testify here," said Cheney, vice chair of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, during the panel's public prime-time hearing.
"As you will see, Rep. Perry contacted the White House in the weeks after January 6 to seek a presidential pardon," Cheney continued. "Multiple other Republican congressmen also sought presidential pardons for their roles in attempting to overturn the 2020 election."
Perry claimed Friday that "the notion that I ever sought a presidential pardon for myself or other members of Congress is an absolute, shameless, and soulless lie."
Meanwhile, Common Cause Pennsylvania executive director Khalif Ali said Friday morning that "we are deeply concerned by Vice Chair Cheney's statement" and "voters deserve to have elected officials who respect our votes, regardless of the outcome."
Ali continued:
What we have seen, since the November 2020 election, indicates that Rep. Perry and others acted to force the election outcome they wanted--rather than accept the decision made by voters.
The rule of law must apply to everyone. We look forward to hearing more from the select committee about their evidence that Rep. Perry sought a preemptive presidential pardon. Seeking a pardon is not a step taken lightly and indicates that Rep. Perry knew that his actions ran counter to his constitutional duty.
"We appreciate the diligence with which the select committee has been conducting its investigation," he added. "We look forward to all participants in this insurrection being held accountable."
Cheney's statement comes after CNN reported just before Trump left office last year that his legal advisers had warned him that "pardons for Republican lawmakers who had sought them for their role in the Capitol insurrection would anger the very Senate Republicans who will determine his fate" in his historic second impeachment trial.
The committee chair, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), confirmed to CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju after the hearing Thursday that "we have documentation" of multiple Republicans who sought pardons from Trump and "that will come out in our hearings."
Related Content

Another member of the nine-person panel, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), told Raju that "it's hard to find a more explicit statement of consciousness of guilt than looking for a pardon for actions you've just taken, assisting in a plan to overthrow the results of a presidential election."
Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), who is not on the committee, declared Friday that "House Republicans lobbied for presidential pardons after January 6th because they were complicit in an attempt to violently overthrow the U.S. government."
In a series of tweets late Thursday and early Friday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) asked the House GOP--and some specific members--if they asked Trump for pardons.
Ocasio-Cortez specifically took aim at GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Andrew Clyde (Ga.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Paul Gosar (Ariz.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). She was also among several Democrats who confirmed that they had not requested a pardon from the former Republican president.
"Ok I will start. I didn't ask for a pardon," Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) tweeted late Thursday. "I am not kidding about this. Every single member should answer this simple question."
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) responded that "I'll get this ball rolling on the House side. I didn't ask for a pardon."
Democrats who posted similar comments on social media in the wake of Thursday's hearing include Reps. Alma Adams (N.C.), Sean Casten (Ill.), Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (Ill.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D.C.), Chellie Pingree (Maine), Mark Pocan (Wis.), Mike Quigley (Ill.), Mary Gay Scanlon (Pa.), Juan Vargas (Calif.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), and Nikema Williams (Ga.).
The committee's next two hearings are scheduled for 10:00 am ET on Monday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 15.