–O. Adejo
Former President Donald Trump has been summoned to testify before a congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021 Capitol Riots.
The committee has been looking into the case of Trump supporters storming the US Capitol. The panel, comprised of seven Democrats and two Republicans, voted 9-0 in favour of Trump testifying.
Trump is expected to provide documents and testify under oath in relation to the riots. If he fails to comply, he may face criminal charges and imprisonment.The former president is expected to receive the subpoena in the coming days, along with a deadline for compliance.
According to the BBC, Liz Cheney, the committee’s vice chairperson and a representative from Wyoming, stated that they are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set everything in motion, and that every American is entitled to those answers.
The decision was made during the select committee’s ninth and final hearing but there is a chance that Trump will not testify. He described the committee as a ruse set up to distract US voters from the disaster of democratic governance a few months ago.
On Thursday, he took to his Truth Social app to question why the committee didn’t invite him to testify months ago and why they waited until the last hearing to do so.
Over 1,000 witnesses have been interviewed by the committee so far, including Trump’s children, top officials, military and police personnel. In addition, over 850 people have been charged for their involvement in the riot at the US Capitol.
US House Committee Votes to Subpoena Trump for Capitol Riot