Jan 6 Committee Says Trump Failed to Comply With Subpoena to Testify

The Democrat-led House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot said that former President Donald Trump defied its subpoena by not appearing for a scheduled deposition.

“Even though the former President initially suggested that he would testify before the committee, he has since filed a lawsuit asking the courts to protect him from giving testimony,” Jan. 6 panel Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said in a joint statement Monday, the same day Trump was scheduled to testify.

The panel leaders also said: “His attorneys have made no attempt to negotiate an appearance of any sort, and his lawsuit parades out many of the same arguments that courts have rejected repeatedly over the last year.”

While the committee has not said what measures it may take against Trump, Thompson told The New York Times that contempt charges “could be an option. And we’ll have to wait and see.”

The House has voted to hold Trump’s allies in contempt four times. Former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon and former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro were indicted. The Justice Department has not charged former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows or top aide Dan Scavino.