A federal judge in Washington, D.C. rejected a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee (RNC) against the House select committee investigating the January 6 riots.
The Hill reports:
The RNC had alleged its First and Fourth Amendment rights were violated when the panel subpoenaed Salesforce, a software company it used for fundraising efforts.
In a 53-page opinion, Judge Timothy Kelly in the U.S. District Court in D.C. dismissed all claims against the House committee and ruled that its subpoena does not violate the First Amendment, arguing “less is at stake than the RNC represents.”
“The subpoena’s demand for this information does not seek the disclosure of confidential internal materials and does not add to the RNC’s burden,” Kelly wrote in his opinion. “For the information the parties acknowledge exists but is currently confidential—such as the performance data of the RNC’s email campaigns during this period—the strength of the Select Committee’s interest in this information outweighs any actual burdens imposed by its disclosure to the Select Committee.”
Kelly also ruled the subpoena does not violate the Fourth Amendment; that the House committee has a legitimate purpose in its inquiry; and that lawmakers on the committee were immune from a lawsuit under the speech and debate clause.
In February, the House Select Committee subpoenaed Salesforce prompting the RNC to file its lawsuit on March 9th.