Whether he will answer questions during that deposition remains an open question. Mastriano worries about the impact on his campaign if tapes of what he has to say in edited clips are released. His attorney, Timothy Parlatore, is insisting that Mastriano’s testimony, which is scheduled to take place by video conference on Tuesday, be recorded. The Select Committee rejected it this week. » READ MORE: Doug Mastriano to be interviewed by congressional committee Jan. 6 and provided some documents Parlatore, in an interview with The Inquirer, said Mastriano was concerned about how the commission had previously released brief excerpts of other witnesses’ testimony during hearings and on social media. He also accused the committee of trying to influence the governor’s race in Pennsylvania and other midterm elections across the country. “This is not a real commission of inquiry,” Parlatore said. “It’s a campaign tool for the Democratic Party.” Parlatore said he offered to record the session, but not to make it public unless the committee released clips that Mastriano deemed “out of context to create a false impression.” The full recording will then be made public so “voters can see the full context and make an informed decision.” The commission, which had previously rejected similar requests, did so again this week. “They want to maintain sole control of the narrative,” Parlatore said. “I said, ‘Why would you object to that unless you’re going to release misleading clips?’” Parlatore’s concerns were expressed in a letter to the committee on Friday, which was first reported by Politico. » READ MORE: Pa. Legislature. GOP Doug Mastriano says he left the Capitol area before the riot. The new videos say otherwise. Parlatore said Mastriano will appear Tuesday and, if the commission again refuses to allow his attorney to record the meeting, he will challenge the commission’s authority to subpoena testimony. That, Parlatore said, could lead to a sprawling legal battle that will likely push Mastriano’s testimony until the Nov. 8 election. “The senator wants to go in,” Parlatore said. “He wants to answer their questions. He has nothing to hide.” A spokesman for the committee’s chairman, U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (D., Miss.), did not respond to a request for comment Friday. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Mastriano shortly before May’s Republican primary, referring to the Franklin County senator as a “fighter” who opposed the 2020 election results. The committee subpoenaed Mastriano in February, seeking testimony and documents about his participation in the Jan. 6 Trump rally in Washington assigned to the Capitol Hill riot. State Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic nominee for governor, sent his supporters an email last month calling Mastriano a “rebellion” who “actively sought to subvert our democracy.” The committee also sought information about Mastriano’s “knowledge and participation in an effort to create an alternative electoral roll” after the election and his communications with Trump about “your post-election activities.” The New York Times reported last month that Mastriano had been designated as the state’s “point” in the plot to overturn the election, citing the Trump campaign email. Mastriano also called for a full audit of the Pennsylvania ballot 10 days after the 2020 election and to delay certification until it is complete. In June, Mastriano submitted to the committee receipts for $3,354 for buses he rented to bring more than 130 supporters to the Jan. 6 rally, along with a passenger manifesto. He also submitted a batch of social media posts he made about the 2020 presidential election. A leader of the suffrage movement in Pennsylvania, Mastriano said he was scheduled to speak at a Jan. 6 follow-up rally that was canceled. He was photographed that day near the steps of the Capitol, beyond the police lines. Mastriano has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing on Jan. 6 or in his actions after the 2020 election. Asked about it during a debate in April, he said there was “no legal issue” of concern. “I was there to hear my president speak, and then I was invited to speak at two locations, exercising my constitutional rights,” Mastriano said. “And shame on the media and the Democrats for painting anyone down there as a thug.”
