During Thursday’s public hearing, the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot unanimously voted to subpoena former President Donald Trump about his actions surrounding the insurrection. The committee has been tasked with probing the facts and causes of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot, when a violent mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol and forced lawmakers to flee their chambers for safety. Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed that his victory was stolen through widespread voter fraud, and never officially conceded the election to Biden.
Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said before the vote that “It is our obligation to seek Donald Trump’s testimony,” and Vice Chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. said it is a “key task” of the committee to compel the testimony of “January 6th’s central player.” Cheney noted that out of roughly 30 witnesses who have invoked the 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination during their testimony, many did so directly in response to questions about their dealings with Trump. Those witnesses include former Trump Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, former national security advisor Michael Flynn, and Republican political operative Roger Stone.
Just before the hearing adjourned, the nine-member panel voted unanimously to direct Thompson to issue the subpoena for Trump. The bipartisan panel has so far issued more than 100 subpoenas and interviewed more than 1,000 people over the course of its investigation, and most of those witnesses have complied with the committee’s requests. However, it is expected that Trump may be unlikely to willingly cooperate with the panel, which he has repeatedly decried as a politically motivated witch hunt.
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