Democrats say they do not know what to make of his resignation and whether he’ll cooperate with their investigation.
“We, as a Congress, need to obtain his trip records and places he traveled, individuals with whom he spoke,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee responsible for funding DOE. “I believe Secretary Perry to be a patriot. I have no idea what he’s caught in, if he’s caught up in anything.”
Kaptur said she sent a text message this morning to House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) asking him to demand testimony from the secretary. She said Schiff had not responded as of midday Friday. A spokesperson for the Intelligence Committee declined comment on whether it would seek Perry’s testimony.
Perry said in a Friday interview on Fox News he’ll defer to Energy Department counsel on whether to respond to the subpoena from the Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Relations committees. Congressional investigators have asked him to produce documents related to his trips to the country and his interactions with other figures in the probe, including Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), a senior member of the Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees, said Congress will not let up in its efforts to obtain testimony and records from Perry amid his resignation.
“It would appear that he played a more prominent role than we had thought heretofore,” Connolly told reporters. “The role he played is the role he played. Whatever his current status is immaterial.”
Other Republicans downplayed any potential damage to Perry’s reputation, even as they indicated he should not participate in the process.
“I’m not worried about Rick Perry’s legacy at all,” Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) said in an interview Wednesday, prior to Perry’s announcement that he would resign. “He should do what’s best for Rick Perry and the country. I trust Rick. If he wants to testify, he’ll do that. If he doesn’t, he won’t. My guess is he won’t want to be involved in a witch hunt — he’s seen that before.”
