GOP to go on offensive, portray Jan. 6 probe as 'unconstitutional and illegitimate'

As Democrats ramp up hearings and secure a second Trump advisor's arrest for contempt, Republicans are finally launching a counteroffensive to the Jan. 6 committee designed to portray the investigation as "unconstitutional and illegitimate" and to put a focus on Speaker Nancy Pelosi's failures in protecting the Capitol.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., the third ranking lead in the House gave a preview of the strategy during a radio interview with Breibart News on Saturday.

“We’re working very closely with President Trump and his team with Leader Kevin McCarthy, with Jim Jordan, and really all of the House Republicans will be pushing back in a rapid response fashion,” Stefanik said.

“You will see us all over the airwaves, we will be setting the record straight. We will be telling the truth to the American people sharing the facts and also really pointing out how unprecedented and unconstitutional and illegitimate this committee is,” she added.

With little fanfare Republicans have gathered significant evidence about the Democrats' failure to pre-emptively protect the Capitol, turning down an offer the weekend before the riots from the Trump Pentagon for National Guard troops and failing to react to intelligence warnings. Stefanik said that will be a key focus.

Republicans will be "prosecuting the case against how much Speaker Pelosi, Democrats, and Liz Cheney have failed this country, and they’ve failed to focus on the issue. If they want to talk about securing the Capitol, which they refused to, they have failed to do that job,” she said.

Democrats plan to begin a new round of Jan. 6 panel hearings on Thursday. Over the weekend they got mixed news when former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was indicted and arrested for contempt for refusing to comply with a congressional subpoena.

But two other key aides to former President Donald Trump that the committee referred for prosecution, Mark Meadows and Dan Scavino, were informed they won't be charged by the Justice Department.