Doug Mastriano speaks in Pennsylvania. Photo: eff Swensen/Getty Images
Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano is suing the Jan. 6 select committee, Politico reports.
Why it matters: The lawsuit will set up a legal battle between Mastriano, who has been endorsed by former President Trump, and the Jan. 6 committee investigating Trump's actions on Jan. 6.
Driving the news: Mastriano filed the suit in federal court Thursday naming the committee as a defendant. Members of the panel and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), were also named.
- The Pennsylvania state senator argues in the lawsuit that the Jan. 6 committee doesn't have the authority "to conduct a compelled deposition" of Mastriano "or any other witness who does not consent to being deposed."
- Mastriano has asked for a judge to order the panel not to require him for a deposition, according to Politico. He has also asked for the Jan. 6 panel to pay his legal fees.
Mastriano's office and the Jan. 6 committee did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Context: Mastriano visited the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, per Axios Philadelphia.
- In February, Jan. 6 asked him to submit documents and a testimony for the investigation. He later submitted a number of documents to the panel, signaling that he was willing to participate in an interview, according to Politico.
- He spoke with the Jan. 6 committee in a private meeting back in August but his interview was cut short since his attorney, Timothy Parlatore, argued about the terms of his appearance at the interview, AP reports.
- Mastriano wanted to record the interview, but the committee has not allowed that to happen in other interviews, per the New York Times.
- He said soon after that he planned to challenge the committee's rules and decisions for conducting interviews, Penn Live reports.
State of play: Trump endorsed Mastriano for the upcoming gubernatorial midterm election against Democrat Josh Shapiro.
- Mastriano has been trying to quell his "firebrand conservative tone" for November’s upcoming midterm elections, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Go deeper: GOP nominee for Pennsylvania governor posed in Confederate outfit