House January 6 committee questioned Virginia “Demon” ThomasConservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas, Thursday.
Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson didn’t give many details about the interview Thursday, but said Thomas told the panel she still believes the 2020 election was stolen.
NBC News cameras outside the O’Neill House building captured Thomas as she arrived at the Capitol for the 9:30 a.m. interview and left the committee room at 1:59 p.m. after speaking with the committee for approximately three and a half hours, including a few breaks. NBC News saw his car drive off shortly after the interview.
Thomas declined to answer questions from the press gathered outside the committee room.
A source close to the panel told NBC News last week that the committee had reached a OK with Thomas to be interviewed.
Her lawyer, Mark Paoletta, said in a statement that Thomas was “pleased to cooperate with the Committee to dispel misconceptions about her activities surrounding the 2020 election” and noted that she had previously condemned the Jan. 6 violence.
However, Paoletta acknowledged that Thomas was concerned about fraud in 2020. “His minimal and routine activity was to ensure that reports of fraud and irregularities were investigated,” he said. he declares. “Beyond that, she played no role in any event after the 2020 election results.”
Thompson and Rep. Jamie Raskin, another committee member, told reporters Thursday they were pleased Thomas had agreed to speak with the panel.
“At this point, we’re glad she came,” Thompson said.
When asked if any of his testimony would be included in the next committee hearing, he said it would be if it was “something of merit”.
Emails, records and reports indicate that Thomas was involved in some aspect of a scheme involving “fake voters” after the 2020 election and was also in contact with Trump’s attorney, John Eastman on his strategies to overturn the election results. Eastman wrote memos urging then-Vice President Mike Pence to void the election.
Thomas first has come under scrutiny for posts she emailed Mark Meadows, who was White House chief of staff on Jan. 6, telling him to encourage then-President Donald Trump not to concede the election to Joe Biden.
Thomas’ attorney, Mark R. Paoletta, defended his posts to Meadows, arguing that she “never claimed to have direct knowledge of voter fraud” and that she was “only passing on information she had heard from other people.”
Thomas “expressed concern about the future of our country” under Biden, Paoletta said, “but none of it was unethical, let alone illegal, and none of it suggests that Ms. Thomas had any role in the January 6 attack on the Capitol, or even has information about the attack.”
The January 6 Committee delayed a public hearing which had been scheduled for Wednesday because of Hurricane Ian. Its members did not immediately give a new hearing date.
Liz Brown Kaiser, victoria ebner and Kyle Stewart contributed.