Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano has shared documents, and agreed to an interview, with the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, according to a published report.
The Franklin County state senator’s cooperation came to light after Politico obtained a submission that includes documents about Mastriano busing pro-Trump protesters to Washington D.C., the online news outlet reported Thursday.
The panel subpoenaed Mastriano in February, the Capital-Star previously reported.
Mastriano, an ally of former President Donald Trump attended the “Save America” rally, the morning precursor to the deadly riot. He has denied engaging in violence, but the state senator appears to have been much closer to the Capitol than he initially claimed, according to video footage, the Capital-Star has previously reported.
In a statement, the U.S. House committee said Mastriano was “part of a plan to arrange for an alternate slate of electors” and reportedly spoke with Trump about “post-election activities.”
The panel cited a Nov. 28, 2020, tweet from Mastriano, who said he was advocating for the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Legislature to appoint Electoral College delegates, the Capital-Star previously reported
But when it issued its legal demand, the House panel specifically said Mastriano “didn’t need to send any materials related to official actions in his current position as a Pennsylvania state senator,” Politico reported.
Because of that “sizable carve-out,” the majority of the material that Mastriano shared with the U.S. House panel were publicly available social media posts, according to Politico.
Mastriano’s lawyer, Tim Pastore, told Politico that the Republican, who has spread baseless claims of election fraud, “has nothing to hide and has provided all responsive documents and will be sitting for a voluntary interview as the committee has agreed to forego a formal deposition for him.”
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: A pro-Trump mob breaks into the U.S. Capitol on January 06, 2021, in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. A group of Republican senators said they would reject the Electoral College votes of several states unless Congress appointed a commission to audit the election results. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
According to Politico, receipts provided to the House panel show that “Mastriano’s campaign committee, Friends of Doug Mastriano, paid $3,354 to a charter bus company in late December 2020, as the progressive news site The American Independent has noted.”
Another document “appears to be a passenger manifest indicating Mastriano’s campaign sold more than 130 tickets to Washington to join the ‘Stop the Steal‘ protests that later metastasized into a siege on the Capitol,” Politico also reported.
Mastriano, who romped to victory with Trump’s endorsement in the May 17 primary, faces Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro in the November general election.
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin, attends the Senate Education Committee Hearing held at the Pennsylvania Capitol on May 24, 2022, in Harrisburg, Pa. (Photo by Amanda Berg for the Capital-Star).
Our Stuff.
GOP governor hopeful Doug Mastriano’s biggest donor is Shake Shack’s bread maker — Franklin County-based Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe. Could that come back to haunt the bakery giant? In a special report, Capital & Main takes a look.
The U.S. government is doling out millions of dollars to railroad projects throughout the country, including Pennsylvania, in hopes of improving supply chains and passenger rail service, Capital-Star Washington Reporter Jennifer Shutt writes.
Capital-Star Washington Reporter Ariana Figueroa runs down the gun violence reduction proposals currently being floated by Democrats on Capitol Hill. U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st District, is backing a bill prohibiting the sale of certain semiautomatic rifles to anyone under 21.
A PAC linked to billionaire Jeffrey Yass donated heavily to Republican Jarrett Coleman’s campaign for the Lehigh Valley’s 16th Senate District, our partners at Armchair Lehigh Valley report.
En la Estrella-Capital: Lo que hay que saber sobre el recuento de la carrera Republicana de Pa. en el Senado de los Estados Unidos. Y el estado del aborto, la atención infantil y materna en Pa.
On our Commentary Page this morning: Gun control legislation without control of the deadly AR-15 would just be words on paper, veteran journalist Jay Andersen writes in an op-Ed first published by our sibling site, the Minnesota Reformer. And Rutgers/Newark psychology professor Paul Boxer offers five ways to prevent school shootings.
Gov. Tom Wolf and state Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, talk before a press conference on voting rights on June 9, 2021. (Capital-Star photo by Stephen Caruso)
Elsewhere.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Shapiro and Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, disagree about who should lead the state Democratic Party, the Inquirer reports.
The state Commonwealth Court has ordered counties to count undated ballots in Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Senate primary, the Post-Gazette reports.
State government workers who worked through the pandemic have received bonuses, PennLive reports.
LancasterOnline runs down how Lancaster County is spending its American Rescue Plan money (subscriber-only).
Pennsylvania’s bars and taverns are contending with beer supply chain issues, the York Daily Record reports.
Police in Allentown are investigating a double shooting, the Morning Call reports.
A rainbow flag is flying over Public Square in Wilkes-Barre as the city celebrates Pride Month, the Citizens’ Voice reports.
In Philadelphia, library workers are calling for more staff and longer hours to make them a safe space against gun violence this summer, WHYY-FM reports.
Students at McDowell Senior High School in Erie walked out of class on Thursday in silent protest over gun violence, GoErie reports.
WPSU-FM chats with new Penn State University President Neeli Bendapudi today at 12 p.m.
Here’s your #Pennsylvania Instagram of the Day:
What Goes On
10 a.m., Norristown Area High School: Senate Democratic Policy Committee
1 p.m., Pleasant Hills, Pa.: House Democratic Policy Committee
WolfWatch
Gov. Tom Wolf has no public schedule today.
You Say It’s Your Birthday Dept.
Best wishes go out this morning to James Robinson, of Senate Democrats, who celebrates today. Best wishes go out in advance to veteran Harrisburg PR guy Steve Aaron, who celebrates on Saturday. Congratulations, gents. Hope you enjoy your big days.
Heavy Rotation
We’ll go out this week with a tune from singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers. Here’s ”That’s Where I Am.’
Friday’s Gratuitous Baseball Link
The Seattle Mariners pipped the Baltimore Orioles, 7-6, in 10 innings in a late game on Thursday.
And now you’re up to date.
Originally published at www.penncapital-star.com,by John L. Micek
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