DONALD, SERVED: Jan 6th Committee officially sends subpoena ordering Trump to testify
The January 6th House Select Committee has officially issued its subpoena to compel Donald Trump to appear for a deposition and testify under oath and to provide documents to the panel by November 4th. The subpoena also orders Trump to appear for “one or more days of deposition testimony beginning on or about November 14th.”
The Committee released the entire subpoena it sent to the disgraced former president along with the documents it is requesting.
Trump has tapped lawyers Harmeet Dhillon and Jim Trusty to take the lead on responding to the subpoena, who have been discussing how to respond, a source familiar with the situation told CNN, stressing that no firm decisions had been made.
Pursuant to a unanimous vote, the Select Committee issued a subpoena to former President Donald Trump for testimony and records relevant to the Select Committee’s investigation into the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol and its causes.
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) October 21, 2022
Trump must also turn over any communications he sent or received during the period of November 3, 2020 – January 20, 2021, with over a dozen of his close allies who have emerged as key players in the plot to overturn the 2020 Presidential election results.
No notes, no prompter, just @KatiePhang and the Jan. 6 committee’s subpoena of Donald Trump. Watch: pic.twitter.com/gS9Czduof2
— The Katie Phang Show (@katiephangshow) October 21, 2022
Also notable is the demand for Trump to testify about his interactions with several individuals, including people on the same list, who invoked their Fifth Amendment rights when questioned by the committee about their dealings with Trump.
BREAKING: Donald Trump has been officially SUBPOENAED by the January 6 committee. Here's what you need to know. https://t.co/4i0pAV1gpB
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) October 21, 2022
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the Committee’s Vice-Chair, said during the panel’s final televised hearing that seeking Trump’s testimony under oath remained “a key task” because several witnesses closest to him invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in response to their interactions with Trump. “We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion,” Cheney said, referring to Trump.
Trump’s legal team had not yet responded at press time.
Steve Bannon could become the first person with close ties to former Pres. Trump to be sent to prison in the fallout from the Jan. 6 attack.
Prosecutors are going to ask the judge to sentence Bannon to six months in jail for defying a subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee. pic.twitter.com/sCKajDn6Y6
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) October 21, 2022
The subpoena is expected to launch a new round of legal wrangling as Trump does his damnedest to avoid accountability for his actions surrounding January 6th.
Follow Tara Dublin on Twitter @taradublinrocks.
