The Jan. 6 Committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot has issued a subpoena for former President Donald Trump to testify, likely setting up a historic court battle.
The move by the select committee is the most aggressive against the former president yet, which predictably led to partisan cheerleading and condemnation on Twitter.
The New York Times reports:
The subpoena drastically escalated the stakes of what was already the most consequential congressional investigation in decades. Coming weeks before the midterm elections, the subpoena threatened to thrust Mr. Trump and the Jan. 6 committee into a protracted legal battle that could ultimately be decided by the United States Supreme Court.
The subpoena to Mr. Trump requires him to turn over documents by Nov. 4 and to appear for a deposition on Nov. 14.
Some members of the committee believe those records could be more illuminating than the former president's testimony, should they get him to comply with their subpoena.
All nine lawmakers on the committee describe Trump as the “central cause” who “personally orchestrated” a coordinated, multi-faceted effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
“We recognize that a subpoena to a former President is a significant and historic action” Chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Vice Chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., wrote to Trump in a 10-page letter. “We do not take this action lightly.” The letter contains sharply-worded, accusatory language aimed squarely at Trump. At one point, Thompson and Cheney state, “In short, you were at the center of the first and only effort by any U.S. president to overturn an election and obstruct the peaceful transfer of power, ultimately culminating in a bloody attack on our own Capitol and on the Congress itself.”
The Times continues:
Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and the committee's vice chairwoman, said this week that if Mr. Trump refused to comply, the lawmakers would “take the steps we need to take after that,” although it was unclear how successful their enforcement efforts would be, particularly if Republicans take control of the House in January and disband the committee.
The panel voted unanimously last week to issue a subpoena to Mr. Trump, and staff members worked for several days preparing the demand. Committee lawyers were in contact with representatives for the former president, inquiring about which of Mr. Trump's many lawyers would be willing to accept service of the subpoena.
The subpoena orders the former president to appear before the Jan. 6 panel either in person or through video conference.
It's unclear how Trump and his team will respond to the long-awaited subpoena, although he slammed the committee's unanimous vote to subpoena him last week in a 14-page letter that derided the results of the 2020 presidential election and the select committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot.
As American Liberty News noted at the time:
“The committee is a hoax, a sham, a partisan witch hunt which is a continuation of the witch hunt that has gone on since the great day for our country that I came down the golden escalator with our future first lady,” Trump said. “They have no case, they have no ratings, so they have to try to do this to get publicity.”
Despite Trump's ire towards the House panel a source close to the former president insists he “loves the idea of testifying.” The source told Fox News, that if Trump does in fact testify he plans to “talk about how corrupt the election was, how corrupt the committee was, and how Nancy Pelosi did not call up the National Guard that Trump strongly recommended for her to do three days earlier on January 3, 2021.”
The letter to Trump by Reps. Thompson and Cheney can be read in its entirety below.
This story is developing. Stay with American Liberty News for the latest updates.
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