[1andrew1]

History in the making!

January 6 committee votes to subpoena Donald Trump

Members of Congress also say they are considering making a ‘series of criminal referrals’ relating to Capitol riots

The congressional committee investigating last year’s attack on the US Capitol has voted unanimously to issue a subpoena to former president Donald Trump, whom members have accused of being responsible for the violence that day.

Speaking at the end of the committee’s ninth live televised hearing, the Democratic chair Bennie Thompson, said: “He is the one person at the centre of the story of what happened on January 6, so we want to hear from him.”

Liz Cheney, the Republican deputy chair, said: “We must seek the testimony under oath of the January 6 central player.”

The former president could choose to attend a hearing and refuse to answer questions, as some of his supporters have done. Cheney said this silence was a crucial reason to issue the subpoena.

Trump could also defy the order and refuse to attend — though some of his supporters, including his former strategist Steve Bannon, have been charged with contempt of Congress for doing so.

The vote came after another dramatic televised hearing on the January 6 attack on the Capitol, during which the committee presented fresh evidence that Trump believed he had lost the election, yet pressed ahead with his attempt to overturn the result anyway.

https://www.ft.com/content/95ee40c1-...0-8518a6d9d650