House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy warned telecom and tech companies Tuesday that “a Republican majority will not forget” if they hand over phone or computer records related to the House select committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.

The committee’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., asked 35 companies Monday to preserve records for hundreds of people who may have been involved with efforts to “challenge, delay or interfere” with the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election. The companies include AT&T, Verizon, Facebook, Twitter and Parler.

The committee has not said publicly which individuals it may be targeting, but Thompson and others on the panel have indicated it might include members of Congress and anyone who was in touch with then-President Donald Trump on Jan. 6. McCarthy, R-Calif., and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, have both said they spoke with Trump the day of the riot.

In a statement Tuesday, McCarthy accused Thompson, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., who serves on the committee, of trying to “strong-arm private companies to turn over individuals’ private data” and argued doing so “would put every American with a phone or computer in the crosshairs of a surveillance state run by Democrat politicians.”

"If these companies comply with the Democrat order to turn over private information, they are in violation of federal law and subject to losing their ability to operate in the United States,” McCarthy said. “If companies still choose to violate federal law, a Republican majority will not forget and will stand with Americans to hold them fully accountable under the law.”

It’s unclear which law McCarthy was referring to.

A spokesperson for the select committee said in a statement: “The Select Committee is investigating the violent attack on the Capitol and attempt to overturn the results of last year’s election. We’ve asked companies not to destroy records that may help answer questions for the American people. The committee’s efforts won’t be deterred by those who want to whitewash or cover up the events of January 6th, or obstruct our investigation.”

The House voted in June to create the select committee to investigate the riot as well as the events that led up to it, including Trump’s repeated false claims about widespread election fraud and his rally near the White House just before a mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol. 

McCarthy and most Republicans have fought against a comprehensive congressional investigation, arguing other committees on Capitol Hill and law enforcement have already been conducting their own probes. 

Democrats, however, argue most Republicans fear that a full accounting of the Capitol attack could expose damaging information about Trump and possibly even implicate some GOP lawmakers.

Senate Republicans filibustered a House bill to create an independent, bipartisan commission. The House responded by voting to create its own Democratic-led committee. 

After Pelosi rejected two of the five Republicans chosen by McCarthy to serve on the panel, the GOP House leader pulled all five of his picks. Following that, Pelosi appointed the two Republicans who voted in favor of creating the committee — Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois.