Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), one of the highest-ranking Democrats in the House, said during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union over the weekend that former President Donald Trump could be summoned for testimony to a committee whose creation was recently approved by the House to investigate the deadly Capitol riot. Like other Congressional panels, that committee will have the power to issue subpoenas, and other prominent Republicans, like House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), could also be called for testimony. McCarthy was in contact with Trump on the day of the riot, so he could provide an insider perspective on what was happening at the White House while the then-president’s supporters attacked Congress.
Asked about whether Trump could be called to testify regarding the riot, Clyburn said as follows:
‘Oh, if it comes to that. They should go wherever the facts lead. They may be able to get what they want and need without him testifying. I would not want to see a former president testifying in such a situation as this. But if that’s what it takes in order to get to the bottom of this, because this is more than any one person. This is this country.’
So far, the House committee is still in its early stages. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has named her picks for the panel — including noted Trump opponent Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) — but McCarthy, who has five spots to fill, hasn’t selected any one yet, at least publicly. McCarthy and most other House Republicans opposed the initial creation of the committee, although nearly three dozen Republican members of the House backed a previous, failed proposal to create an independent, non-Congressional committee to investigate the riot.
