Donald Trump has been formally subpoenaed by the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., had said the committee had an “obligation” to seek an interview with the former president, who they’ve argued was central in an attempted coup to remain in power after the 2020 election.
“We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion,” Rep. Liz Cheney, the Republican vice chair, said as she brought the motion up for a vote on Oct. 13. “And every American is entitled to those answers, so we can act now to protect our Republic.”
The unanimous decision to compel Trump’s testimony came at the end of the panel’s tenth — and possible last — hearing, which again focused on Trump’s behavior in the days before and after the riot.
Former President Donald Trump is shown on a screen as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds a hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 13, 2022.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
That included Trump’s plan to declare victory on Election Day, which dated back as early as July 2020, the committee said.
Also shown during the hearing was never-before-seen footage of congressional leaders responding to the attempted coup and new communications highlighting the Secret Service’s concerns about the threat of violence.
Trump first responded to the committee’s vote to subpoena him in a series of posts to his conservative social media platform Truth Social.
“Why didn’t the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago?” Trump wrote, calling the committee a “total BUST.”
Former President Donald Trump is shown on a screen as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol holds a hearing, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 13, 2022.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Later, in a memo addressed to Thompson, Trump continued to rail against the committee but didn’t address the subpoena.
“Despite very poor television ratings, the Unselect Committee has perpetuated a Show Trial the likes of which this Country has never seen before,” Trump said in the letter, in which he also continued to make false claims about the 2020 election.
Trump has told advisers he’d welcome a live appearance, according to sources familiar with his thinking, but has yet to say publicly whether he’ll cooperate.
Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, the committee’s vice chair, said there was “no disagreement” among members on whether to subpoena Trump.
“We all felt that our obligation is to seek his testimony, that the American people deserve to hear directly from him, that it has to be under oath, that he has to be held accountable,” Cheney said this week during an appearance at a Harvard Institute of Politics forum.
Cheney said she’s “assuming Trump will fulfill his legal obligation and honor the subpoena.”
“If that doesn’t happen, then we’ll take the steps we need to take after that,” Cheney said. “But I don’t want to go too far down that path at this point.”
Experts said if Trump refuses to cooperate, the committee could move to have the full House hold him in contempt and refer the matter to the Justice Department for prosecution — something it’s done for four other individuals related to the Jan. 6 investigation.
Trump could also try to drag the matter out by fighting the subpoena in court, the experts said.
The Jan. 6 committee is expected to wrap up its investigation by the end of this year by releasing a final report on its findings and recommendations.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the Jan. 6 committee, was asked on ABC’s “This Week” whether the DOJ should hold Trump in contempt if he refused to comply.
“That’s a bridge we cross if we have to get there,” Kinzinger responded, adding, “We’re at a bit of a time limit here. And as we’re wrapping up the investigation, we’re also pursuing new leads and facts.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.