WASHINGTON (AP) — Raising the stakes on its extraordinary subpoena to Donald Trump, the House committee investigating the Capitol riot indicated Sunday it would not consider letting the former president testify live on television about the direct role that congressional investigators say he played in trying to overturn the 2020 election.
The committee is demanding Trump’s testimony under oath next month as well as records relevant to its investigation. To avoid a complicated and protracted legal battle, Trump reportedly had told associates he might consider complying with the subpoena if he could answer questions during live testimony.
WATCH: The Jan. 6 committee will not allow fmr. President Trump to turn his testimony into a "circus," says @RepLizCheney (R-Wyo.)
"This isn't going to be his first debate against Joe Biden … and the food fight that that became. This is a far too serious set of issues." pic.twitter.com/3bUyUFVf9m
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) October 23, 2022
But Rep. Liz Cheney, the committee’s vice chair, on Sunday rejected the possibility. She said the committee, which makes its major decisions with unanimous consent, would not allow Trump’s testimony to turn into a “food fight” on TV and she warned that the committee will take action if he does not comply with the subpoena.
“We are going to proceed in terms of the questioning of the former president under oath,” Cheney, R-Wyo., said on “Meet the Press” on NBC. “It may take multiple days, and it will be done with a level of rigor and discipline and seriousness that it deserves. We are not going to allow — he’s not going to turn this into a circus.”
“We have many, many alternatives that we will consider if the former president decides he is not going to comply with his legal obligation, a legal obligation every American citizen has to comply with a subpoena,” she said.
It is unclear how Trump and his legal team will ultimately respond. He could comply or negotiate with the committee, announce he will defy the subpoena or ignore it altogether. He could go to court and try to stop it.
Still, there remains little legal advantage for Trump to cooperate with the committee at a time when he faces other legal battles in various jurisdictions, including over his family business in New York and the handling of presidential records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
It’s possible his lawyers could simply run out the clock on the subpoena if they go to court to try to squash it as the committee of two Republicans and seven Democrats is required to finish its work by the end of the year.
Cheney, in the television interview, made her position clear that Trump had committed “multiple criminal offenses” and should be prosecuted. She cited his repeated efforts as outlined by the Jan. 6 committee to undermine democracy by denying his election loss to Democrat Joe Biden and by spurring his supporters in the violent attack on the Capitol.
“We’ve been very clear about a number of different criminal offenses that are likely at issue here,” Cheney said. “If the Department of Justice determines that they have the evidence that we believe is there and they make a decision not to prosecute, I think that really calls into question whether or not we’re a nation of laws.”
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For full coverage of the Jan. 6 hearings, go to https://www.apnews.com/capitol-siege
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It already is a circus, it has been from day one. How they have been able to squeeze all those overblown klowns (or is it Democrat clones) into such a small chamber is like the tiny car you see under the ‘big top’! The only difference is the clowns at the circus are funny, the klowns on the kommittee ridiculous!
AND clowns at a circus don’t COST US ALL as a nation, unlike these ones do!
This kangaroo court circus is no different than the Democrat Party impeachment kangaroo court circus.
Nancy Pelosi admitted an unfortunate truth about her
orchestrate and fabricated President Trump’s impeachment “farce”
– It hinges on witness’s “allegations” not “proof”.
It’s Not A Question” Of “Proof”, It’s About “Allegations”
https://youtu.be/7dzhIxeF204
These klowns subpoena Trump to show up with requested documents on Nov 14th??? The election is Nov 8, we have a RED wave what happens to these klowns?????
This is a total sh.. show. The blinding hate and despise of another human being is criminal. They scream racist and bigoted but they are the most hateful group of people I’ve ever seen in my 68 years of life. Everything they say about us is them 10 times. I wish their hate and disgust would just die off. It would be a better world without their kind. And I mean their kind.
There’s days i’d just love to stick everyone of these TDS sufferers on a ONE WAY rocket trip… RIGHT OUT of our solar system.
Keep the J6 committee. Now open the investigation on Pelosi, Schiff, Cheney, the whole lot of these reprobates. Get a ‘special counsel’ and go scorched earth on these ******
President Donald J.Trump is playing FIVE TIER CHESS wile Liz girl and the Jan 6 committee are playing checkers ! LOL ! Liz Cheney and the committee did not expect President Donald J. Trump to say he would testify if it was Televised ! You would have thought by now Liz Cheney would have learned you don’t mess with the bull because eventually you’ll get the horns ! LOL ! I need another box of popcorn !
So Liz thinks it’s OK to vilify Trump and other republicans on live TV, but it’s not OK to allow them to have the right to defend themselves on live TV. Guess she’s still mad because the voters voted her out of office. Come January it won’t matter because her and her kangaroo court will be gone.
YES. To them, ONLY the left can demonize folks. The right has no rights to defend themselves..
Dizzy Liz is history; the Soviet-style show “trial” with no teeth and false “evidence” will hopefully die an anonymous death.
History continuously proves Trump accomplished so much and restored so much respect for the USA that the pathological, lying profiteering Dems (and their RINO stooges) are quite simply terrified of him with good reason: Trump got things DONE.
So Liz wants Trump to TALK, but if he said anything she doesn’t like she will stop him. With what a gag?
I think Liz hates Trump so much I’d suggest checking her for weapons multiple times when in the same room with Trump–IF Trump actually has to play along with this Russian show trial.
I’ve trusted rattlesnakes more than any Cheney.
Trump has the right to a fair trial. He won’t get on with them.
OR with the corrupt and feckless Dept of INJUSTICE… That the left totally controls these days.
TRUMP not only has a right tona fair trial but if he wants it televised then that is also his right, the only reason the demons do not want it televised is that way they can twist everything the way they want and there will be no evidence to say otherwise. This whole thing is so they can twist TRUMPS words to make it sound like he sais something totally different than what was said. After all they have one person that said that TRUMP actually tried to turn the car around and go somewhere else other than where he was going that day, they have another person that said that TRUMP encouraged everything that went down that day up to and including one person that tried to claim that TRUMP was handing out guns yet the SATAN WORSHIPPING DEMONCRATS believed every person that had so etching negative to say about Trump and that day. Every person on that so called committee should be taken out a flogged with a cat-o-nine-tailes and left with stripes on their backs.
Of course this woman doesn’t want it on live tv…..that would keep her and the committee from selectively editing and creatively inserting their sewer-like twists to everything that is said. I wouldn’t trust Cheney or the rest of her thugs on the committee as far as I could throw them! They are truly a waste of space and oxygen, and their vitriolic obsession and hatred of Trump is not only pathological, but juvenile as well.
The whole damned committee is a circus and all of the members are clowns.
ITS another attempted coup..
Like the old song says, “Send in the clowns, Never mind, They’re already here…” AsThe democrat ( RINO) Republicans Liz Cheny sitting on the committee show everyone what “Clowns” they are.
Fellow citizens–
REMEMBER-this is NOT a real trial. They have no judge, the President has not been indicted. This is a media event; the Dems are rife with wannabe scriptwriters and dramatists. It’s better to try to sell a lie than actually doing what the People elected these oafs to do.
I believe there will be a reckoning on 8 November.
2 problems:
! Trump can’t be censored or scallywagged on live TV.
2. They can’t Steve Bannon him.
They damn well will try!
All that (Rino, ) Republican Liz Cheny wants is to see Donald Trump hung in the public Square and ‘ To get his’ never mind that Hunter Biden’s Lap-Top, had evidence against him but strangely, The democrats and Liz Chaney don’t appear to be the least bit interested in seeing justice is served against Joe Biden’s Son, Hunter Biden, STRANGE.!
These reprobate J6 losers are complete clown’s. They sit up there and act like this is legit. I bet when they look in the mirror or look at one another, they have to look away because they can’t stand what they see. Zero respect, zero credibility, zero character, zero integrity.