MD Rep. Attended Trump Meeting On Overturning Election: Jan. 6 Panel

WASHINGTON, DC — A U.S. representative for Maryland was among 11 Republicans who attended a December 2020 meeting with then-President Donald Trump to talk about ways to overturn the election, the committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol revealed Tuesday.

The White House meeting occurred Dec. 21, just days after an "unhinged" meeting between White House lawyers and Trump allies which also was a focus of Tuesday's hearings.

The meeting's purpose was to "disseminate (Trump's) false claims and to encourage members of the public to fight the outcome on January 6," Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Florida, said.

Rep. Andy Harris was among the Republican lawmakers who attended the meeting. Harris represents the state's 1st Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Baltimore, Carroll, and Harford counties. He is the only Republican representing Maryland in Congress.

Harris issued a statement to the Baltimore Sun on Tuesday:

"I haven’t had a chance to watch the hearing today,” it said. “I was busy working on important issues like bringing down the price of gas and groceries and securing our communities against violent crime."

Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Montgomery County and a member of the Jan. 6 committee, introduced witnesses and testimony on Tuesday. Just before the Dec. 21 meeting, Raskin said Trump "electrified and galvanized" his supporters to fight the election results on Jan. 6.

Raskin was referencing a tweet sent by Trump on Dec. 19. "Big protest in D.C. on January 6th. Be there, will be wild!" the tweet read.

"With the proper incitement by political leaders and the proper instigation from the extremists, many members of this crowd could be led to storm the Capitol, confront the vice president in Congress and try to overturn the 2020 election results," Raskin said.

Vice President Mike Pence, Rudy Giuliani, and Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff at the time, also attended the Dec. 21 meeting, Murphy said.

Meeting members discussed election theories espoused by John Eastman, a personal lawyer for Trump, particularly that he believed Pence could reject electors and their votes in his role presiding over the Jan. 6 joint session to certify the election results, according to Murphy.
Despite Eastman's claims, Pence's sole duty was to count votes.

Other Republican lawmakers who attended the meeting were:

• Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama
• Rep. Brian Babin of Texas
• Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona
• Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida
• Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas
• Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona
• Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania
• Rep. Jody Hice of Georgia
• Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio
• Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia

Rep. Mo Brooks of Alabama helped set up the meeting but was not physically present for the discussion.