SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
President Donald Trump addresses his supporters at a rally on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Trump Subpoenaed for 'Central Role in a Deliberate, Orchestrated' Effort to Overturn Election
"In short," the January 6 committee told Trump, "you were at the center of the first and only effort by any U.S. president to overturn an election and obstruct the peaceful transition of power."
Oct 21, 2022
Issuing a subpoena to former President Donald Trump on Friday, the House committee that is investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol demanded Trump provide testimony and documents in response to the panel's findings that he "personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election."
The committee called on the former Republican leader to provide records of any phone calls, text messages, and other messages he sent and received on the day of the attack; records of his communications between November 3, 2020 and January 6, 2021 in which the election and the certification of the results were discussed; any communications regarding extremist groups including the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, who have been linked to the attack, and more than a dozen other types of related documentation.
The panel ordered Trump to turn over the documents by November 4 and to testify on November 14.
The bipartisan committee issued the subpoena days after its members unanimously voted to compel the former president's testimony and on the same day that his former strategist, Steve Bannon, was sentenced to four months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $6,500 fine for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the panel.
Trump did not appear before federal lawmakers during his two impeachment trials, but he has reportedly told his aides that he would testify before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol if he was permitted to do so live.
While the panel's future is uncertain with the midterm elections just weeks away, outgoing Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.), vice chair of the committee, said this week that the lawmakers will "take the steps we need to take" if Trump refuses to comply with the subpoena.
Since its first public hearing in June, the committee has presented evidence showing that Trump's close advisers sought to stop him from continuing to spread the "Big Lie" that he had won the 2020 election; that he subscribed to an erroneous legal theory that former Vice President Mike Pence was legally permitted to certify him as the election winner; that Trump attempted to join the mob of thousands of his supporters who breached the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers were certifying the results; and that he ignored his advisers' pleas to condemn and stop the attack.
"You took all these actions," wrote Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the committee chair, in their letter to Trump, "despite the rulings of more than 60 courts rejecting your election fraud claims and other challenges to the legality of the 2020 election... and despite your obligation as president to ensure that the laws of our nation are faithfully executed."
"In short," they added, "you were at the center of the first and only effort by any U.S. president to overturn an election and obstruct the peaceful transition of power, ultimately culminating in a bloody attack on our own Capitol and on the Congress itself."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Issuing a subpoena to former President Donald Trump on Friday, the House committee that is investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol demanded Trump provide testimony and documents in response to the panel's findings that he "personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election."
The committee called on the former Republican leader to provide records of any phone calls, text messages, and other messages he sent and received on the day of the attack; records of his communications between November 3, 2020 and January 6, 2021 in which the election and the certification of the results were discussed; any communications regarding extremist groups including the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, who have been linked to the attack, and more than a dozen other types of related documentation.
The panel ordered Trump to turn over the documents by November 4 and to testify on November 14.
The bipartisan committee issued the subpoena days after its members unanimously voted to compel the former president's testimony and on the same day that his former strategist, Steve Bannon, was sentenced to four months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $6,500 fine for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the panel.
Trump did not appear before federal lawmakers during his two impeachment trials, but he has reportedly told his aides that he would testify before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol if he was permitted to do so live.
While the panel's future is uncertain with the midterm elections just weeks away, outgoing Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.), vice chair of the committee, said this week that the lawmakers will "take the steps we need to take" if Trump refuses to comply with the subpoena.
Since its first public hearing in June, the committee has presented evidence showing that Trump's close advisers sought to stop him from continuing to spread the "Big Lie" that he had won the 2020 election; that he subscribed to an erroneous legal theory that former Vice President Mike Pence was legally permitted to certify him as the election winner; that Trump attempted to join the mob of thousands of his supporters who breached the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers were certifying the results; and that he ignored his advisers' pleas to condemn and stop the attack.
"You took all these actions," wrote Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the committee chair, in their letter to Trump, "despite the rulings of more than 60 courts rejecting your election fraud claims and other challenges to the legality of the 2020 election... and despite your obligation as president to ensure that the laws of our nation are faithfully executed."
"In short," they added, "you were at the center of the first and only effort by any U.S. president to overturn an election and obstruct the peaceful transition of power, ultimately culminating in a bloody attack on our own Capitol and on the Congress itself."
Issuing a subpoena to former President Donald Trump on Friday, the House committee that is investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol demanded Trump provide testimony and documents in response to the panel's findings that he "personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election."
The committee called on the former Republican leader to provide records of any phone calls, text messages, and other messages he sent and received on the day of the attack; records of his communications between November 3, 2020 and January 6, 2021 in which the election and the certification of the results were discussed; any communications regarding extremist groups including the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, who have been linked to the attack, and more than a dozen other types of related documentation.
The panel ordered Trump to turn over the documents by November 4 and to testify on November 14.
The bipartisan committee issued the subpoena days after its members unanimously voted to compel the former president's testimony and on the same day that his former strategist, Steve Bannon, was sentenced to four months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $6,500 fine for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the panel.
Trump did not appear before federal lawmakers during his two impeachment trials, but he has reportedly told his aides that he would testify before the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol if he was permitted to do so live.
While the panel's future is uncertain with the midterm elections just weeks away, outgoing Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wy.), vice chair of the committee, said this week that the lawmakers will "take the steps we need to take" if Trump refuses to comply with the subpoena.
Since its first public hearing in June, the committee has presented evidence showing that Trump's close advisers sought to stop him from continuing to spread the "Big Lie" that he had won the 2020 election; that he subscribed to an erroneous legal theory that former Vice President Mike Pence was legally permitted to certify him as the election winner; that Trump attempted to join the mob of thousands of his supporters who breached the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers were certifying the results; and that he ignored his advisers' pleas to condemn and stop the attack.
"You took all these actions," wrote Cheney and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the committee chair, in their letter to Trump, "despite the rulings of more than 60 courts rejecting your election fraud claims and other challenges to the legality of the 2020 election... and despite your obligation as president to ensure that the laws of our nation are faithfully executed."
"In short," they added, "you were at the center of the first and only effort by any U.S. president to overturn an election and obstruct the peaceful transition of power, ultimately culminating in a bloody attack on our own Capitol and on the Congress itself."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy