(CNN) -- The House select committee investigating the deadly Jan. 6 riots is preparing to ask a group of telecommunications companies to preserve the phone records of a group of GOP congressmen and former President Donald Trump. Trump, as well as members of the Trump family, who had some role in the "Stop the Steal" rally that was the prelude to the insurrection on Capitol Hill.
The records request is the first step in the commission's investigative process and could signal the direction they plan to take when they call witnesses.
It is unclear what means the commission will use to force the telcos to cooperate with its request. The commission has subpoena power, but requesting information (especially from members of Congress) could lead to a lengthy legal battle.
Which congressmen are in the crosshairs of the commission?
The commission decided not to release the names of the lawmakers whose records are under fire, three sources told CNN. But multiple sources familiar with the commission's work confirmed to CNN at least part of the list, which includes many of the members of Congress included in the request.
According to sources, this group was selected because the commission concluded that each of these legislators played some role in the "Stop the Steal" demonstration. They attended, spoke, actively planned, or encouraged people to attend.
advertisingThe list is said to be evolving and could be expanded as the investigation progresses.
At the moment, it includes the following Republican representatives: Lauren Boebert, of Colorado; Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia; Jim Jordan of Ohio; Andy Biggs, from Arizona, Paul Gosar, also from Arizona; Mo Brooks of Alabama; Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina; Matt Gaetz, from Florida; Louie Gohmert of Texas; Jody Hice, from Georgia; and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.
In addition to their connection to the rally, this group also represents some of Trump's most loyal supporters in Congress, many of whom continue to peddle Trump's false claims about the 2020 election. Many of these members also voted to object. the electoral results on the day of the insurrection.
A select committee spokesman declined to comment on the lawmakers and Trump family members included on the records preservation request list.
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Select committee chairman Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, previously said publicly that the committee would request phone records for "several hundred" individuals.
Trump and members of his family; Kevin McCarthy is not included
In addition to members of Congress, CNN has learned that the commission will also request that the records of former President Trump be preserved, as well as his daughter Ivanka, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as his daughter-in-law Lara Trump and of Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is Trump Jr.'s girlfriend and worked on the campaign.
Although asking for the phone records of these individuals may not come as a surprise, there is one notable name that is not expected to be included in this group of requests. Sources say House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's name was not included.
McCarthy spoke particularly with the former president during the height of the unrest. The content of that call is expected to be of great interest to the commission. Thompson has not ruled out repeatedly calling McCarthy to testify before the commission if that is where he is leading the investigation. That doesn't mean the commission will never ask for your records, just that it has decided not to at this stage of the investigation.
Republican reaction
CNN has contacted the members of Congress on the list for a response, but Republicans have already reacted negatively to the possibility of the commission requesting this information.
Congressman Jim Banks, whom McCarthy originally picked to be the ranking member on the committee but who was turned down by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, sent Thompson a letter Friday, warning her not to give that He passed.
"Digging through his colleagues' call logs would be a departure from more than 230 years of congressional oversight," the Indiana Republican wrote. "This type of authoritative initiative has no place in the House of Representatives and the information it seeks serves no conceivable legislative purpose."
Jordan, who is among the people whose records the commission will request, warned last week that there could be political retaliation.
"I have nothing to hide," he said, but added that "if they cross this line," Republicans will continue to ask questions of their Democratic counterparts.
Brooks tweeted later Monday morning: "'#Socialists & 'Pelosian Republicans' (Cheney & Kinzinger) looking for my phone records? Three results: 1 Total waste of taxpayer money. 2 Boredom for anyone looking at my records. 3 The Russian Collusion Hoax 2.0 Why Not Cite Socialists Who Support BLM & ANTIFA?
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