A House committee on Jan. 6 voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump for testimony during the committee’s final hearing before the midterm elections.
“He has an obligation to answer,” Speaker Benny Thompson said of the former president, adding that subpoenaing a former president was a “serious and extraordinary act.”
At the start of the Jan. 6 hearing, committee members gave their strongest indication yet by indicating the possibility of sending a criminal case to the Justice Department, urging the agency to prosecute Mr. Trump for specific crimes at the start of their meeting Thursday.
Committee Chairman Benny Thompson, a Democrat, noted that the agenda for Thursday’s meeting left open the possibility that lawmakers could vote on action in response to the testimony their panel has uncovered so far.
“There is one more difference for today. According to the notice circulated before today’s meeting, we are called today not as a hearing, but as a formal business meeting of the committee. So in addition to presenting evidence, we can potentially have a committee vote on further investigative action based on that evidence,” Mr Thompson said.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the committee’s GOP vice chair, echoed those guidelines in her opening remarks.
“Our nation cannot merely punish the pedestrians who stormed our capital. Those who planned to cancel the election and brought us to the point of violence should also be held accountable,” she said, adding, “Our committee may ultimately decide to make a series of referrals to the Department of Justice,” while noting , that ultimately it is the DoJ’s role to make that decision.
Committee leadership has debated making such a referral for months, and it likely will ultimately play little role in whether the Justice Department decides to prosecute Donald Trump. The agency conducted its own investigation on Jan. 6 after the attack itself, which led to the sentencing of hundreds of those involved in the riot at the Capitol itself, while turning its sights on the White House in recent months. Multiple witnesses have testified to both the House and Justice Department panels about Jan. 6, including Vice President Mark Short’s former chief of staff, a top aide and ally of Mike Pence.
Ms. Cheney also warned during her opening statement that if Donald Trump is not held accountable for the Capitol attack, it will leave the door wide open for another president to try the same scheme in the future, fueled by the knowledge gained from the surveillance of Mr. Trump’s failure.
“Those who planned to cancel our elections and brought us to the point of violence must also be held accountable. In any effort to excuse or justify the behavior of the former president, we are chipping away at the foundations of our republic,” Ms. Cheney said.
“Indefensible behavior is defended, inexcusable behavior is excused. No accountability. Everything becomes normal and will happen again. So as we look at the evidence today, please consider where our nation stands in its history. Think if we can survive another 246 years. Most people in most places on earth have not been free. America is an exception. And America continues only because we commit ourselves to the principles of our founders in our Constitution,” she continued.
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