Kevin McCarthy suggests GOP will investigate Jan 6 panel

McCarthy, who is running to become the next House speaker, warned the committee that his party intended to launch an inquiry on the panel's work next year once the Republicans control the chamber, according to The Hill.

In a letter sent to the committee's chair Rep. Bennie Thompson, McCarthy said that the panel must preserve records from all interviews. The letter said that he would hold public hearings scrutinizing the security breakdowns from that day.

"It is imperative that all information collected be preserved not just for institutional prerogatives but for transparency to the American people," McCarthy wrote.

"The American people have a right to know that the allegations you have made are supported by the facts and to be able to view the transcripts."

The panel is weeks away from releasing a report that covers a year-long investigation that includes over 1,000 interviews.

Thompson told reporters late Wednesday that everything would be "not just preserved, but made available to the public."

The Hill reports that he "also noted that McCarthy withdrew several appointments to the committee after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) rejected two of his picks."

"He had a chance to have members on the committee. So he had a chance to come and testify before the committee. So I think the horse has left the barn. And we will do our work, we will end on Dec. 31. If he wants to conduct whatever he wants as Speaker, it’s his choice. But we sunset Dec. 31. He can read the report. We won’t have anything in our possession after Dec. 31," Thompson said.

"The subpoena I signed for him to come and testify before the committee will be part of the record."