RNC Lawsuit Against Nancy Pelosi, the January 6th Committee, and Its Members

RNC Files Lawsuit Against Nancy Pelosi, the January 6th Committee, and Its Members

  • The Republican National Committee (RNC) is suing Nancy Pelosi and her January 6th Committee.
  • Pelosi's committee has subpoenaed Salesforce.com (Salesforce) for the RNC's data without any legitimate basis.
    • Salesforce is a key data and digital communications vendor to not only the RNC but also to campaigns and political organizations from both parties.
    • Digital communication has revolutionized how political parties and other non-profit organizations to operate.
    • Interacting virtually with millions of Americans through mediums like email in order to recruit volunteers, persuade voters, convey important political messages, and fundraise has become a central and core component of political activities.
    • Salesforce collects and maintains significant amounts of RNC data, including confidential and sensitive information about private individuals with whom the organization has engaged, ultimately helping develop and execute political strategies.
  • Congress does not have an unlimited subpoena power. The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently held that its subpoena power must have a legislative purpose and not be a pretext for law enforcement activities.
  • The committee is engaged in a political fishing expedition, attempting to seize private information and political strategy from the RNC that has nothing to do with the attack on the Capitol on January 6th.
    • The RNC had nothing to do with the violence that occurred at the Capitol and has repeatedly condemned it.
    • In fact, the RNC was a target of violence and had a bomb placed outside of RNC headquarters, which put our staff in immediate danger and is something the committee has yet to investigate.
  • Pelosi's committee has weaponized Congress' investigatory power, lacks legitimacy, has exceeded its scope, and disregards checks and balances.
    • Pelosi and the committee are weaponizing and abusing Congress' investigatory power in a partisan fishing expedition.
      • The subpoena tramples on core First Amendment rights of the RNC and millions of Americans.
      • RNC's internal political data and campaign strategies have nothing to do with investigating the violent attack on the Capitol January 6th.
      • The committee is attempting to subpoena private financial information of donors and RNC supporters that has no connection to the attacks on the Capitol.
      • This means that the subpoena is not only an attempt to go after the RNC, but the data and private information of its donors, supporters, members, and staff.
      • The committee's subpoena is so broad, it jeopardizes exposing the personal and private data of up to 60 million Americans and strategy on things like our Election Day turnout operation and the Georgia Senate runoffs.
      • This information has nothing to do with January 6th, and there is simply no reason the committee needs personal and private information on millions of Americans.
      • The political party in the majority is infringing on the rights of the minority, which could have implications for the race for an incumbent Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock later this year.
    • Pelosi's committee is illegitimate.
      • Congressional Committees always have representatives from the minority party, but in her own words, Pelosi took the "unprecedented" move to block Republicans appointed by the Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.
      • Pelosi rejected two Republicans that McCarthy appointed to the Committee – Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Jim Banks (R-IN) – an abuse of power for purely political reasons. 
    • Pelosi's committee has dramatically exceeded its scope, and instead of investigating the pipe bomb placed outside our building, is now investigating our emails.
      • Pelosi's committee has issued hundreds of wide-ranging subpoenas and demanded records beyond the events of January 6th. 
    • Pelosi's committee has disregarded checks and balances and has no respect for due process.
      • Congressional committees are supposed to write laws, not run politicized investigations for the purpose of prosecuting their political opponents.
      • Former Counsel for the House of Representatives Stanley Brand said the committee is "trying to conduct themselves like a law enforcement agency," calling it "beyond the pale."
      • Pelosi's committee is unconstitutionally attempting to exercise law enforcement authority in violation of fundamental separation of powers.
      • In fact, The New York Times wrote that the committee "is employing techniques more common in criminal cases than in congressional inquiries."
  • The RNC is filing this lawsuit to stop the subpoena and to ensure that one of the country's two major political parties does not abuse its power to seize private data and campaign strategy from the other.
    • Pelosi is attempting to kneecap the RNC for political gain while trampling on free speech and freedom of political association.
    • The committee did not create safeguards to protect the information they are attempting to seize.
    • In fact, the committee has already demonstrated that it cannot be trusted to keep private information secure.
      • In at least one instance, for example, information regarding private communications only available to the Select Committee was leaked to The Washington Post.
  • If Pelosi and her committee want to look at candidates and committees who lie to their donors to dupe them out of money, they should look at Democrats

Courtesy of NCGOP