Jan. 6 panel accuses Republican National Committee of 'pushing false claims' after RNC files lawsuit

Hours after the Republican National Committee announced a lawsuit against the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, the House panel responded by accusing the RNC of spreading false claims about the 2020 election.

The RNC on Wednesday posted on Twitter: "We are suing [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and her 1/6 committee for attempting to seize private information and political strategy from the RNC that has nothing to do with the attack on the Capitol."

In February, the committee issued a subpoena to Salesforce.com, Inc., which was the email-based fundraising platform for former President Donald Trump's campaign and still is for the RNC.

The committee states that the subpoena will "help investigators understand the impact of false, inflammatory messages in the weeks before January 6th, the flow of funds, and whether contributions were actually directed to the purpose indicated."

The RNC accused the committee of government overreach through the subpoena and filed a lawsuit in response on Wednesday. 

"Pelosi’s committee has weaponized Congress and instead of investigating the pipe bomb placed outside our building, it is now investigating our emails," the RNC stated, adding that the lawsuit's goal is "to stop the unlawful overreach 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."

Jan. 6 committee spokesperson Tim Mulvey responded to the lawsuit on Wednesday.

"The Select Committee is investigating a violent attack on the Capitol and an attempt to overturn the 2020 Election. Between Election Day 2020 and January 6th, the RNC and the Trump campaign solicited donations by pushing false claims that the election was tainted by widespread fraud. These emails encouraged supporters to put pressure on Congress to keep President Trump in power," Mulvey accused. 

The committee insisted that the subpoena "has absolutely nothing to do with getting the private information of voters or donors."