House Committee to Force Ex-President to Testify as Investigation Into January 6th Riot Intensifies
Former US President Donald Trump may soon be subpoenaed by the House of Representatives to testify under oath about the January 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot. Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat on the House committee leading the investigation, confirmed that the subpoena could be issued within days. This move follows a unanimous 9-0 vote by the committee to compel Trump to provide both documents and testimony in relation to his alleged role in instigating the violence during the Capitol attack, which aimed to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The decision marks a significant escalation in the ongoing investigation, which had previously been uncertain about whether to subpoena Trump or former Vice President Mike Pence. Neither Trump nor Pence have directly engaged with the committee thus far.
Trump has consistently dismissed the investigation, both publicly and in legal forums, referring to the committee as “a laughing stock” on his Truth Social platform. Despite his likely refusal to cooperate, invoking his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination, the committee could still force him to testify in a closed-door deposition. This could be a drawn-out process, especially given the committee’s expected conclusion by the end of the year, with Republicans aiming to dissolve it after gaining control of the House in the midterm elections.
Trump’s potential defiance of the subpoena would add to his growing list of legal troubles, including ongoing civil and criminal investigations in New York related to his business dealings, and federal probes concerning the handling of classified documents and the 2020 election. A failure to comply with a congressional subpoena can result in imprisonment for up to 12 months, under a law dating back to 1857.
