In historic move, House Jan. 6 committee votes to subpoena Trump
Americans deserve to hear from him, Rep. Liz Cheney said.
The House Jan. 6 committee on Thursday, after a months-long hiatus, held its ninth public hearing since June, and possibly its last in its investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack.
The panel focused on the role of former President Donald Trump, alleging he was front and center of a plot to overturn the 2020 election and in a historic development, voted unanimously to subpoena Trump to testify.
Here's how the story developed:
Trump writes to committee after subpoena vote
Donald Trump wrote a memo to committee chair Bennie Thompson following the panel's hearing on Thursday, during which members unanimously voted to subpoena the former president.
Trump reiterated his false claims of election fraud as he railed against the committee's work, but didn't address the vote to subpoena him and whether he would comply. (The subpoena has yet to be issued.)
"This memo is being written to express our anger, disappointment, and complaint that with all of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on what many consider to be a Charade and Witch Hunt, and despite strong and powerful requests, you have not spent even a short moment on examining the massive Election Fraud that took place during the 2020 Presidential Election, and have targeted only those who were, as concerned American Citizens, protesting the Fraud itself," he wrote.
Trump responds to Jan. 6 subpoena vote
Former President Donald Trump responded to the committee's action for the first time on Thursday afternoon in a post to Truth Social, his conservative social media platform.
"Why didn't the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago?" he wrote, calling the committee a "total BUST."
"Why did they wait until the very end, the final moments of their last meeting?" he asked again.
Thompson: Panel will not issue subpoena for Pence testimony
House Jan. 6 committee chair BennieThompson told reporters right after the hearing that the panel would not issue a subpoena for former Vice President Mike Pence.
The committee had been debating how to manifest a meeting with the former vice president, but Thompson's comments indicate members will not force him to make an appearance.
When asked if he thinks Trump will honor the subpoena for his testimony, Thompson responded "ask Donald Trump." Thompson did not answer when asked if the committee would vote to hold Trump in contempt of Congress if he chooses not to comply.
In historic, unanimous vote, Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Trump
To close out their 10th hearing overall -- the ninth since June -- the House Jan. 6 committee unanimously voted to subpoena Trump.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., offered the historic resolution and requested a voice vote. Each of the nine members, including seven Democrats and two Republicans, voted yes.
"It is our obligation to seek Donald Trump's testimony," chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said about the subpoena.