The January 6 Congressional Committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol last year voted on Thursday to issue former President Donald Trump a subpoena, in an effort to force him to testify.
If Trump fails to comply with the subpoena, he could, theoretically, face criminal charges and imprisonment.
Representative Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the committee, and Democrat from Mississippi, said that Trump should answer for his actions.
The Committee, which is looking into the former president’s supporters’ attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, consists of seven Democrats and two Republicans, and they all voted in favor of issuing a subpoena for Trump to testify under oath and provide relevant documents in connection with the attack.
The Committee will issue the subpoena in a few days, including a deadline for Trump’s compliance.
Liz Cheney, the Committee’s Vice Chairperson, a Republican from Wyoming, said that every American was entitled to answers from the man who set everything in motion.
The move was announced during the Committee’s ninth hearing on Thursday, and they said that they would focus on the former president’s state of mind in the period following President Biden’s victory, and his refusal to concede defeat.
There are speculations about whether Trump will honor the subpoena, especially since he failed to honor another subpoena issued earlier this year on an unrelated case. In April, Trump was held in Contempt of Court by a New York Judge after failing to honor a subpoena for documents in an investigation into his businesses.
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former political strategist, was found guilty of criminal contempt in July when he failed to comply with a similar subpoena issued by the Congressional Committee.
Mr. Trump, who now uses the social site Truth Social after his ban on Twitter, posted on the site questioning why the Committee had not asked him to testify months ago.
The former president, who has been hinting at taking another swing at the job in 2024, alleged that the Committee had waited until the last minute to summon him because they were used as a vessel to divide America further.
During the hearing, the Committee played exclusive video footage of the evacuation of Congress and members being moved to a secure location after Trump supporters breached the building.
The video, filmed by Nancy Pelosi’s daughter, showed the Democratic house speaker’s shocked expression when she was informed that members of Congress in another part of the building were instructed to wear gas masks.
Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers made desperate calls to the military and other governors, pleading for more resources to fight the angry mob.
Trump’s former Vice President, Mike Pence, asked Speaker Pelosi how long it would take before they could resume voting on President Biden’s confirmation.
The Committee started investigating the attack more than a year ago and interviewed over 1,000 people, including Trump’s kids, former aides, and military officers.
The Committee will issue a report on their findings in December. They could also request the Department of Justice to charge Trump and his aides for their roles and incitement that led to the January 6 attack.
