2 AZ Lawmakers Met With Trump About Overturning Election: Jan.6 Panel

WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Reps. Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs of Arizona were among 11 House Republicans who met with then-President Donald Trump in December 2020 to strategize how to overturn the presidential election, according to White House visitor logs unveiled Tuesday during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot hearings on Capitol Hill.

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 his false claims and to encourage members of the public to fight the outcome on January 6," said Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida.

According to White House visitor logs presented by the committee, the following House Republicans were at the meeting:

• Rep. Paul Gosar, Arizona
• Rep. Andy Biggs, Arizona
• Rep. Brian Babin, Texas
• Rep. Matt Gaetz, Florida
• Rep. Louie Gohmert, Texas
• Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland
• Rep. Jody Hice, Georgia
• Rep. Jim Jordan, Ohio
• Rep. Scott Perry, Pennsylvania
• Then-Rep.-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia

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

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

Meeting members discussed election theories espoused by John Eastman, a personal lawyer for Trump, particularly that he believe 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.

In previous hearings, the committee previously shared that several House Republicans sought pardons from Trump following the Jan. 6 riots. Six of those — Biggs, Brooks, Gaetz, Gohmert, Perry and Greene — were involved in the Dec. 21 meeting, according to the committee.