The House of Representatives committee looking into the attack on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters on January 6, 2021, has 

ordered the former president to testify under oath and submit records.

The committee claimed to have served Trump with a subpoena asking him to appear for deposition testimony commencing on November 14 and to provide documents to the panel by Nov. 4.

Deposition testimony frequently refers to a witness being questioned behind closed doors and on camera for the record. Such testimony might be made public and included in the special panel's final report.

In a letter to Trump on Friday, the committee stated, "As demonstrated in our hearings, we have assembled overwhelming evidence, including from dozens of your former appointees and staff, that you personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to obstruct the peaceful transition of power".

The committee is requesting a wide range of documents from Trump that would describe any communications he may have had with lawmakers, Oath Keepers and Proud Boys members, as well as associates and former aides like Roger Stone, 

, Michael Flynn, and Rudy Giuliani, over the course of several months prior to the January 6 riot and beyond.

Additional documents, texts, and communications are being sought that detail potential trips to the Capitol on January 6, 2021. As well as communications relating to efforts in persuading state legislatures or lawmakers to take measures that would have postponed Congress' certification of the presidential election, or adjustments in states that would have certified an alternative slate of "electors" who would have supported declaring Trump the winner of the 2020 election.

Trump, who frequently refers to the committee as the "unselect committee," has claimed that it is unfairly attacking him politically while ignoring his claims of widespread election fraud.

If Republicans take back control of the House in the upcoming midterm elections, he is unlikely to cooperate with the subpoena and may instead choose to try to extend the life of a committee whose term is expected to finish early in the following year.

On January 6, 2021, after Trump delivered an impassioned speech at a rally close to the White House with false allegations that his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election was the result of fraud, thousands of his supporters attacked the Capitol.

, protestors broke glass and engaged in police combat. More than 140 police officers were hurt, the Capitol sustained millions of dollars in damage, Pence, members of Congress, and staff were forced to flee for their safety, and five people, including a police officer, died during or immediately after the incident.

, a former Trump strategist, was given a four-month prison term for refusing to assist with the panel's probe, the committee made its decision shortly after. But while his appeal is ongoing, he is free. View More

The committee made it clear that congressional testimony from a president in office or a past president was not unusual. The letter identified seven former presidents who have testified after leaving office, most recently, Ford. Even presidents who were still in office, including Abraham Lincoln and Ford, made appearances, according to the statement.

Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson and Vice Chair Liz Cheney wrote to Trump:

"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 transition of power, ultimately culminating in a bloody attack on our own Capitol and on the Congress itself".

Members of the committee have not yet said how they will move forward if Trump disobeys the summons.

According to federal law, disobeying a congressional subpoena is a misdemeanor that carries a one- to 12-month prison sentence. 

If the subpoena issued by the select committee is disregarded, the committee will decide to submit the matter to the entire House. 

Following that, the House would decide whether to send the matter to the Department of Justice, which has the power to decide whether to file charges.

The House select committee's case that Trump was primarily to blame for the deadly assault on the Capitol has been presented in a series of hearings using documents, live witness evidence, and audio recordings of conversations conducted behind closed doors.

They said that the Republican had prepared in advance to contest his loss, had failed for hours to persuade the mass of his followers to leave the Capitol, and had continued to make false assertions that the election had been rigged even after receiving news that he had lost from close aides.

Capitol Storm Trial: Trump's subpoena & Prison for Bannon

0 Comments