On Friday, the House committee—which is currently examining the January 6 insurrection—subpoenaed Donald Trump for documents as well as testimony. They believe his words and behavior incited what happened at the Capitol and are working to deepen their investigation by going straight to the former president.
Will Trump show up? And if he does, will he plead the fifth? (Which is something he has previously said only “guilty” people do.) The subpoena is asking for Trump’s appearance on November 14th, which is after the midterm elections. In a letter sent along with the request, the panel’s leaders explained to Trump:
“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.”
Last week, the committee unanimously decided to subpoena Trump after a hearing that outlined his role in various attempts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Of course, in typical Karen fashion, Trump fired back with a 14-page letter sent last Friday, in which he said, “The presidential election of 2020 was rigged and stolen!” in all capital letters.
The letter also stated:
“You have not gone after the people that created the fraud, but rather great American patriots who questioned it, as is their constitutional right. These people have had their lives ruined as your committee sits back and basks in the glow. A large percentage of American citizens, including almost the entire Republican Party, feel that the election was rigged and stolen.”
Representative Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the January 6 committee and Democrat of Mississippi, had stated:
“He must be accountable. He is required to answer for his actions. He’s required to answer to those police officers who put their lives and bodies on the line to defend our democracy. He’s required to answer to those millions of Americans whose votes he wanted to throw out as part of his scheme to remain in power.”
Trump refused to testify during his impeachment trial last year, so let’s see if history repeats itself.