Trump sues House Jan. 6 panel to avoid testifying
Less than a month after he expressed eagerness to provide testimony on live television, former President Donald Trump sued the House January 6 panel to block a subpoena ordering him to testify.
In a lawsuit filed Friday night in the Southern District of Florida, Trump’s legal team argues that while ex-presidents have voluntarily agreed to cooperate with congressional subpoenas in the past, “no president or former president has ever been compelled to do so.”
“Long-held precedent and practice maintain that separation of powers prohibits Congress from compelling a president to testify before it,” Trump attorney David Warrington said in a statement announcing his client’s plans.
According to Warrington, Trump had worked with the committee “in a good faith effort to resolve these concerns consistent with executive branch prerogatives and separation of powers,” but the panel “insists on pursuing a political path, leaving President Trump with no choice but to involve the third branch, the judicial branch, in this dispute between the executive and legislative branches.”
The committee did not comment on the filing, which comes just days before its Monday deadline requiring Trump to appear for a deposition.
As The Associated Press reported, “the suit likely dooms the prospect of Trump ever having to testify, given that the committee is expected to disband at the end of the legislative session in January.”
According to Politico, the suit is destined to result in “a complex and lengthy legal battle that is sure to last beyond the committee’s lifespan.”
Trump’s attempt to thwart the panel’s investigation also comes before “a very big announcement” he has scheduled for Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago.
That’s when Trump is expected to launch his third bid for the White House, though a growing number of Republican operatives have called on the former president to stay out of the 2024 race after the GOP failed to pick up more seats in the midterm elections, thanks in large part to the poor performance of many of Trump’s hand-picked candidates.
Originally published at Commondreams.org.
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