House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Wednesday evening that he will not cooperate with the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, asserting the panel "is not conducting a legitimate investigation."

McCarthy, in a statement released hours after the committee asked him to voluntarily cooperate with its probe, maintained that the "illegitimate" panel was seeking to interview him about “private conversations not remotely related to the violence that unfolded at the Capitol.”

The panel noted in its letter to McCarthy earlier Wednesday, however, that the GOP leader previously acknowledged speaking with former President Trump as the attack on the Capitol was underway.

McCarthy in his statement Wednesday night knocked the committee for subpoenas it has issued and criticized lawmakers for holding individuals in contempt of Congress.... Read More: The Hill