The January 6 committee has voted force Donald Trump to give evidence before the panel about his supporters storming the Capitol last year.
The Guardian reported that the committee’s chair, Bennie Thompson, said the panel believed Donald Trump attempted ‘to upend American democracy’, which resulted in the January 6 riots.
He added: “He is the one person at the center of the story of what happened on January 6. We want to hear from him.”
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He continued: “We also recognize that a subpoena to a former President is a serious and extraordinary action. That’s why we want to take this step in full view of the American people, especially because the subject matter issue is so important.”
Republican deputy chair Liz Cheney said, as per The Irish Times: “We must seek the testimony under oath of the January 6 central player.”
While the committee can not criminally charge Mr Trump, they can decide to make a criminal referral to the Justice Department, according to Sky News.
However, if he doesn’t comply with the summons, the former US President could face criminal charges and imprisonment.
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The announcement was made during the investigation's ninth and potentially final public hearing for the deadly riots, which saw five people killed and hundreds critically injured.
According to Business Insider, at least 919 people have been arrested for storming the Capitol; however, that number is expected to grow as the FBI continues to track people down.
During the committee’s hearing, many witnesses, including law enforcement officials, have provided emotional testimonies describing the violence inflicted that day.
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One testimony was given by Capitol police officer Caroline Edwards, who was among those harmed by Trump's supporters as she sustained a brain injury after a member climbed over a barrier, as per ABC News.
She said before the court: "I was slipping in people's blood.
"Never in my wildest dream did I think as a police officer, as a law enforcement officer, that I would find myself in the middle of a battle.
"I'm not combat trained. That day, it was just hours of hand-to-hand combat, hours of dealing with things that were way beyond anything any law enforcement officer is ever trained for."
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Metropolitan Police officer Michael Fanone, who was called to the scene, said that he was ‘grabbed, beaten, tased, all while being called a traitor to my country’, according to ABC News.
He added that he still hears the rioters screaming to kill him with his own gun ringing his head even a year on.
Topics: News, Politics, Crime, Donald Trump
Charisa Bossinakis