The House committee investigating January 6, which is continuing its work as this Congress draws to a close, isn’t letting former President Donald Trump’s attempts to evade a subpoena from the panel for documents and testimony go unanswered.
Trump has predictably sued over the subpoena, which the committee publicly voted to authorize at a recent gathering. The threat of a criminal referral from the panel that implicates the former president or someone close to him over their actions taken around the last presidential election is still lingering as committee members prepare their next steps, including an expected final report. A referral wouldn’t force Justice Department action, but it would no doubt be accompanied by significant evidence. It’s essentially a formal recommendation for prosecution. Trump is now facing additional threats of potential prosecution at the federal level in association with the ongoing investigation by the Justice Department into his handling of documents from his administration that were identified as classified, and now, the tide of polling showing Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis defeating Trump in a 2024 primary match-up is growing.
It’s not a great time to be Donald, although was it ever? A statement on Monday from Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who lead the riot committee, promises an evaluation of “next steps” for dealing with the former president’s refusals. The statement also notes that the list of witnesses from whom the committee has heard has surpassed 1,000! There has been talk of the committee also releasing transcripts of its interviews with witnesses, including many, many people with close ties to the former president himself.
“Former President Trump has failed to comply with the Select Committee’s subpoena requiring him to appear for a deposition today,” Thompson and Cheney said. “Even though the former President initially suggested that he would testify before the committee, he has since filed a lawsuit asking the courts to protect him from giving testimony. His attorneys have made no attempt to negotiate an appearance of any sort, and his lawsuit parades out many of the same arguments that courts have rejected repeatedly over the last year… Donald Trump orchestrated a scheme to overturn a presidential election and block the transfer of power. He is obligated to provide answers to the American people. In the days ahead, the committee will evaluate next steps in the litigation and regarding the former President’s noncompliance.”
The House riot committee’s investigation isn’t the only thing Donald has recently been very angry over. Trump also continues raging about the prospect of a run by Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis for the presidency. Polling keeps coming out showing DeSantis beating Trump in the primary at both the state level in key locales and on the national level, and DeSantis might be ready for a fight. “I would just tell people to go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night,” DeSantis said Tuesday. Trump’s formal confirmation of his 2024 presidential bid is likely coming at Mar-a-Lago this Tuesday evening.
Ron DeSantis fired back at Trump over recent attacks at a press conference today: "I would just tell people to go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night."
— Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) November 15, 2022
