(New York) The real twist would be if Donald Trump accepts the summons.
Updated yesterday at 8:06 p.m.
Thursday afternoon, at the very end of what should be its last public hearing, the January 6 Commission created a surprise. Its nine members unanimously adopted a resolution to assign the 45e President to testify about his role in the events leading up to the attack on the Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021.
“We left no doubt — none — that Donald Trump led an effort to suspend American democracy that culminated in the January 6 violence,” said Bennie Thompson, Democratic Representative from Mississippi and chairman of the Commission, before the vote.
He is the only person at the center of the story of what happened on January 6 [2021], and so we want to hear it. He is held accountable for his actions.
Bennie Thompson, Democratic Representative from Mississippi and Chairman of the Commission
Donald Trump reacted to his subpoena by formulating on the Truth Social site a series of questions which probably constitute an end of inadmissibility.
” Why [la Commission] didn’t she ask me to testify months ago? Why did she wait until the very end […] ? Because the Commission is a total failure that has only served to further divide our country? »
Donald Trump would certainly not be the first president to testify before a congressional committee. At least four have already done so, including Harry Truman and Gerald Ford, at the XXe century.
But Joe Biden’s predecessor would no doubt challenge in court a charge of contempt of Congress stemming from his refusal to testify. This would obviously suppose that the Department of Justice wants to add a new case to the two other files that are already monopolizing it concerning Donald Trump.
“Given the unlikelihood of Trump ever testifying, I fear the Commission will be accused of showing off,” said New York University constitutional law professor Stephen Gillers.
Especially since the Commission of January 6 will be dissolved, if the Republicans become the majority in the House after the midterm elections – scheduled for early November – a strong probability.
long-term investigation
The January 6 Commission’s vote came at the end of a hearing that aimed to summarize the main findings of a more than year-long investigation into Donald Trump’s role in efforts to overturn the results of the presidential election. 2020 presidential election.
The Commission has unveiled new elements that have led it to accuse Donald Trump of having planned his rejection of the election results for a long time.
California Democratic Representative Zoe Lofgren notably presented an email sent on October 31, 2020 to the White House by Tom Fitton, president of the conservative group Judicial Watch and close ally of Trump. According to Fitton’s suggestion, he was to say on election night: “The ballots counted on the Election Day deadline show that the American people have done me the great honor of re-electing me as President. the United States. »
With few words, Donald Trump followed Fitton’s suggestion on election night.
PHOTO J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zoe Lofgren, Democratic Representative of California
This big lie – President Trump’s effort to convince Americans that he had won the 2020 election – began before the election results were even known.
Zoe Lofgren, Democratic Representative of California
The Commission also released messages and testimonies confirming that Donald Trump had repeatedly tried to drive to the Capitol with his supporters on January 6, 2021, even after learning that some of them were armed and that others had taken to attacking the police.
PHOTO JACQUELYN MARTIN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sergeant Aquilino Gonell, Capitol Police, left, and Sergeant Harry Dunn, Capitol Police
A national security official commented on the situation, according to testimony heard during the hearing: “The president wanted to lead tens of thousands of people to the Capitol. I think that was reason enough for us to be alarmed. »
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Meanwhile, congressional leaders were sheltering in a bunker on a military base outside Washington. The Commission showed never-before-seen videos of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer escalating calls for help from government officials.
“They are obviously trashing our offices. It’s nothing,” Pelosi says at one point while speaking on the phone to Jeff Rosen, the acting U.S. attorney general. “The concern we have is about people’s safety – it transcends everything. »
Schumer chimes in, “Why don’t you ask the president to tell them to get off the Capitol, Mr. Attorney General, as part of your law enforcement responsibility?” »
The January 6 Commission must produce an investigation report. However, it will not be able to complete this work before the mid-term elections, as planned. According to its vice-president, Liz Cheney, she could also recommend that the Department of Justice formulate charges in connection with the events which led to the attack on the Capitol.
But first, the Republican representative from Wyoming wants to hear Donald Trump’s testimony under oath.
“We are forced to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion. And every American is entitled to those answers so we can act now to protect our republic,” she said.
Good luck.