Former President Trump on Thursday rejected a House committee’s vote to subpoena him to testify about the events of January 6, 2021, as a publicity stunt.
“Why didn’t the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago?” Trump posted to Truth Social shortly after the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot voted to subpoena him.
“Why did they wait until the end, the last moments of their last meeting? Because the Committee is a total ‘BUST’ that has only served to further divide our country, which by the way is doing very badly – a joke all over the world?” Trump continued.
The nine-member panel voted unanimously at the close of the hearing on Thursday to subpoena Trump for his testimony about the events leading up to, and on the day of, January 6, 2021, when pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol to try and get the certification of halt the 2020 election results.
“He is the only person central to the story of what happened on January 6. So we want to hear from him. The committee must do everything it can to tell as complete a story as possible and make recommendations to ensure that nothing like January 6 ever happens again. We need to be honest and thorough to get the full context for the evidence we have obtained,” said Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) Chairperson before the vote.
Thompson said the subpoena was also a matter of holding Trump accountable for his attempts to reverse the election results, which resulted in the Jan. 6 violence.
However, the subpoena is unlikely to lead to Trump’s testimony. The former president has repeatedly derided the investigation as a partisan witch hunt and is expected to challenge the subpoena in courts, a process that is sure to last longer than the life of the special commission, which is set to end later this year.
“Today, 26 days before the midterm elections, America is truly a country in decline. Inflation has spiraled out of control, crime rates are at an all-time high and the crisis on our southern border has never been worse,” Trump spokesperson Taylor Budowich tweeted.
“However, instead of using their last days in power to make Americans’ lives better, Democrats are doubling and tripling their partisan theater. Democrats have no solutions and they have no interest in leading our great nation,” he continued. “They are just bitter, hungry and desperate. Pres Trump will not be intimidated by their worthless rhetoric or un-American actions. Trump-approved candidates will win the Midterms and America First’s leadership and solutions will be restored. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
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