Donald Trump is resisting a subpoena by the committee of inquiry into the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The committee actually wants to end the hearings with a multi-day questioning of the former US President.
On Friday evening (local time), however, Trump’s lawyers filed a lawsuit in a district court in the state of Florida to challenge the panel’s subpoena.
The committee had asked Trump to be available for questioning under oath starting next Monday. The move was an escalation against an ex-president rarely seen in US history.
After the summons, Trump initially left open how he would react. In the lawsuit, his attorneys now argue, among other things, that the subpoena violates Trump’s constitutional right to free speech. It is a “quasi-criminal investigation”. In addition, the committee lacks the power to compel the Republican to testify. Furthermore, the subpoena violates, among other things, the executive privilege of the ex-president. This is a President’s prerogative to keep certain information secret. The panel also did not respond to Trump’s offer to respond to certain questions in writing.
In several hearings, Trump was heavily incriminated by witnesses
Trump supporters violently stormed the seat of parliament in the capital Washington on January 6, 2021. Congress met there to formally confirm Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election. Trump had previously incited his supporters in a speech that he had been deprived of a victory by massive election fraud. Five people died as a result of the riots.
The committee in the House of Representatives is working on the attack. In several public hearings, Trump was heavily incriminated by witnesses. Thus, he knew that the protesters were armed on the day of the Capitol attack and deliberately sent them to the congressional seat. Former confidants also said Trump actively attempted to overturn the election result, despite senior figures close to him openly denying allegations of voter fraud.
The committee of inquiry had also asked Trump to hand over a large amount of documents. Among other things, Trump should hand over data on all phone calls, text messages and communication via the chat service Signal on the day of the attack. He should also disclose with whom he communicated in the days about the outcome of the presidential election. The committee had originally set November 4 as the deadline, but then extended it by a few days.
The committee had a hard time from the start: the Republicans torpedoed a bipartisan investigation into the Capitol attack and ultimately also the committee more or less from the beginning. After public disputes, there are seven Democrats on the committee – and only two Republicans, both of whom are proven Trump critics and will no longer belong to the next House of Representatives. Trump himself had repeatedly attacked the body in the past and described the allegations as lies.
As of January, Republicans are likely to call the shots in the House of Representatives
The House of Representatives was completely re-elected last Tuesday. It is not yet clear who will control this chamber of congress in the future. It currently looks more like the Republicans will be in charge there from January.
Trump is expected to announce a new presidential bid for the 2024 election next Tuesday evening (local time). Trump promised a “very big announcement” for that evening and has given specific instructions in this direction with increasing vehemence in the past few weeks and months.
The Republican is also involved in various legal battles: Among other things, investigations are being carried out against him because he kept secret government documents in his private estate Mar-a-Lago – long after he left the White House.