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Former President Donald Trump reportedly wants to testify live before the January 6 committee to convince investigators it was a witch hunt, sources claim.
The January 6 committee unanimously voted to subpoena Trump, 76, to testify about his knowledge of the Stop the Steal raid on the Capitol.
Sources familiar with Trump said the former president will only agree to testify live, and his driving force is to convince the committee they entire job has been nothing but a witch hunt.
Trump has expressed that he wants to speak to ‘get his pound of flesh,’ close aides told the Guardian.
It is unclear if the committee will allow Trump to testify live, as they have rejected conditional testimonies from all witnesses, except Cassidy Hutchinson, a former White House aide during the Trump administration.
If they do not allow him a live testimony, it is unclear what the committee will do to comply him to comply.
Trump is also said to be considering keeping quiet, on the advice of lawyers who’ve warned he could potentially incriminate himself.
The January 6 committee unanimously voted to subpoena Trump, 76, to testify about his knowledge of the Stop the Steal raid on the Capitol. Sources familiar with Trump said he will only agree to testify live
His driving force is to convince the committee they entire job has been nothing but a witch hunt. If they don’t allow him to testify live, they could have a hard time forcing him to testify as a former president, as he would have immunity of testifying before Congress
However, prior to issuing the subpoena, committee chairman Bennie Thompson said they wanted Trump to testify in order to hold him accountable for his actions leading to the January 6 riot.
‘He must be accountable. He is required to answer for his actions, Thompson said.
Members of the committee also believe that his testimony will answer many questions surrounding the case, such as his contacts with political operatives at the Willard hotel, sources told the Guardian.
However, the committee might meet roadblocks when trying to get the subpoena to pass through the courts, as former presidents are typically typically have immunity from testifying before Congress.
Previous attempts to subpoena past Trump administration employees have ended in bitter legal battles over executive privilege. Some of Trump’s staff, like former chief of staff Mark Meadows, was asked for partial cooperation.
Even if the committee is able to pass the subpoena through the courts, immunity could be protected by the Justice Department, according to the Guardian, and legal sources worry the effort could be unsuccessful in the end.
In a former testimony before New York state – which has a civil case against him – Trump invoked the Fifth Amendment 440 times before the Attorney’s Office filed a fraud lawsuit against him.
In a special counsel investigation into his connection with Russia, Trump only submitted written responses, despite initially saying he wanted to testify in-person.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi threatened to punch Donald Trump if he showed up with rioters at the Capitol, newly released footage revealed
His lawyers have also reportedly warned him about the mounting legal pressures from the Justice Department and New York State cases against him.
Also recently released is footage of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying she wanted to hit Trump if he showed up with rioters storming the Capitol.
Footage obtained by CNN from Pelosi’s daughter shows the Speaker of the House frustrated over Trump’s speech asking his followers to march to the Capitol to protest the certification of the 2020 presidential election.
When an aide tells Pelosi that the Secret Service warned Trump not to go to Capitol Hill, she said she would punch the former president if he ignored the warnings.
‘If he comes, I’m going to punch him out,’ Pelosi said with a straight face. I’ve been waiting for this. For trespassing on the Capitol grounds, I’m going to punch him out.
‘And I’m going to go to jail, and I’m going to be happy.’
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