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A committee made up of seven Democrats and two Republicans is investigating the January 6 riots from 2021 in which supporters of ex-President Donald Trump stormed Congress. This week, the committee voted 9-0 in favour of issuing a subpoena, a legal summoning, on Mr Trump to provide testimony to them under oath.
Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who is part of the committee, wrote on Thursday: “We just voted unanimously to subpoena Donald Trump. Our democracy demands it. Our constitution demands it. The truth demands it.”
The 45th President is reportedly considering testifying and may choose to appear before the committee, according to a source reported by the Guardian, but Mr Trump has not stated publicly if he will appear before the group.
The subpoena is expected to be issued soon, and Mr Trump could face criminal charges for contempt of Congress if he refuses the summons.
Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat who is the chairman of the committee, said: “He is required to answer for his actions.”
Mr Trump has issued a 14-page public letter addressed to Mr Thompson in response to the summons.
Titled “Peacefully and Patriotically”, Mr Trump accused the committee of being “highly partisan political hacks and thugs whose sole function is to destroy the lives of many hard-working American patriots”.
The former President also claimed: “This memo is being written to express our anger, disappointment, and complaint that with all of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on what many consider to be a Charade and Witch Hunt,
“And despite strong and powerful requests, you have not spent even a short moment on examining the massive Election Fraud that took place during the 2020 Presidential Election, and have targeted only those who were, as concerned American Citizens, protesting the Fraud itself.”
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On January 6, 2021, thousands of people supportive of Mr Trump marched on the Capitol, and earlier that day the ex-POTUS gave a speech in which he claimed he had lost the 2020 Presidential Election due to unfounded claims of voter fraud.
In his recent letter, Mr Trump yet again claimed: “The presidential election of 2020 was rigged and stolen”.
In the meeting on Thursday, the committee said Mr Trump had behaved in a way that was a “staggering betrayal of his oath”.
Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican and vice-chairwoman for the committee, said: “We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion. And every American is entitled to those answers.”
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