The panel summoned Donald Trump on Friday to testify on his involvement in the Capitol riot violence.
Washington:
Lawmakers probing the 2021 attack on the US Capitol testified on Friday for testifying to former President Donald Trump’s involvement in the violence, in a major extension of his wider investigation.
The summons came after a House panel of seven Democrats and two Republicans voted unanimously last week to force Trump’s appearance before investigators.
It requires the 76-year-old Republican to present the document by November 4 and for a statement beginning on or around November 14 – the Monday after the crucial November 8 midterm elections.
“As shown in our hearing, we have gathered overwhelming evidence, including dozens of your former appointees and employees, that you personally have been involved in a multi-part effort to reverse the 2020 presidential election and hinder the peaceful transition of power. did.” The committee told Trump in a letter.
Trump, who urged his supporters to “fight like hell” in a fiery speech near the White House on January 6, 2021, later that day to incite crowds to block a peaceful transfer of power to Joe Biden Impeachment was made.
The letter accused Trump of bidding to reverse the election despite knowing the fraud claims, which were dismissed by more than 60 courts and denied by his campaign staff and senior advisers.
“In essence, you were at the center of the first and only attempt by any US president to reverse the election and hinder the peaceful transition of power, which ultimately culminated in a bloody attack on our own Capitol and Congress,” it added. ,
Without confirming Trump had received the summons, his attorney David Warrington said his team would “review and analyze” the document and “respond appropriately to this unprecedented action.”
The White House declined to comment on the matter, but made a broader statement that “getting to the bottom of January 6 is important.”
– aggressive growth –
The panel’s subpoena has proved difficult to implement, with former White House aide Steve Bannon blaming the sole target of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply.
Bannon was sentenced on Friday to four months in prison, although he is out on bail pending an appeal.
Trump is notorious for his ability to turn the clock on congressional investigations and legal action, and it is highly unlikely that he will agree to provide evidence.
The summons in any case expires with the new Congress term in January. Republicans are expected to win back the House of Representatives in November’s elections, and plan to end the investigation immediately.
But the move marks an aggressive escalation of the investigation, which has issued more than 100 summons and interviewed more than 1,000 people since its launch in 2021.
While no current president has been forced to testify before Congress, lawmakers have called on several former presidents to discuss their conduct in office.
Trump’s compliance would mean testifying under oath and could result in a charge of lying.
If he refuses to comply, the Full House can recommend his trial in criminal contempt in a vote, as was the case with Bannon.
– ‘clear and present danger –
The panel unveiled evidence at eight hearings over the summer of the former president’s involvement in a complicated series of linked plans to overturn the 2020 election.
Witness testimonies provided surprising examples of Trump’s inertia of Trump and his allies in pressuring election officials and trying to annul votes casted legitimately in swing states, and in the midst of crowd revolt.
The committee also said that Trump – who remains a source of disinformation about the 2020 presidential election – remains a “clear and present” threat to democracy.
Lawmakers plan to release a final report by the end of the year.
The committee has not announced whether it will make a direct criminal referral on the Capitol attack, although the move would be little more than a gesture as the Justice Department is already investigating.
The records Trump needs include all of his communications on the day of the rebellion, as well as various categories of messages in the weeks leading up to the riots.
Investigators specifically mention Signal, suggesting that the committee determined that Trump used an encrypted communications app while participating in the conspiracy.
The software allows users to automatically delete messages within any time period selected.
The requested documents include any signal communications between Trump and far-right militias such as the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.
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