Former President Donald J. Trump has been formally subpoenaed to testify before the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol building. Under oath, Trump will now have to account for any foreknowledge he may have had of the attacks and any attempts to change the outcome of the November 2020 general election.
It is of course unclear whether the former president will comply with this or any other subpoena regarding the January 6 attack, but the issuance does lend a clear indication of how the committee will proceed in regards to Trump, as well as making a categorical statement that they expect Trump to address the committee directly, either in person or by other means.
According to sources at CNN, Trump and his legal team have been making plans as to how to address the subpoena, but as of this posting no decisions regarding the matter have been made. Trump has handpicked attorneys Harmeet Dhillon and Jim Trusty as his main counsel.
The subpoena contains sweeping requests for testimony covering events leading up to the January 6 storming of the capitol, as well as for specific documents and Trump’s own communication regarding an apparent plan to return him to office in spite of the legitimate election results.
Trump has been openly critical of the January 6 committee and posted a characteristically lengthy response to the subpoena on his own Truth Social networking service. If Trump opts to fight against the subpoena legally, the case could outlast the committee’s mandate.