On Thursday the January 6 committee unanimously voted to subpoena former President Donald Trump after being left with "no doubt knowing that Donald Trump led an effort to upend American democracy that directly resulted in the violence of January 6", according to Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS), the committee's chair.
“He is the one person at the center of the story of what happened on January 6. We want to hear from him," added Thompson.
“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,” Thompson said before the committee's unanimous vote to subpoena Trump.
The committee's vote to subpoena the former president took place during their last public hearing, which was rescheduled due to Hurricane Ian. Last week the committee announced that they would be releasing their final report on December 31. The report, according to Thompson, will focus on the "fact that [Trump] knew he had lost: he was told by a number of people that he had lost, and he just continued to promote the lie that the election had been stolen."
Whether or not Trump will actually show up for a testimony is uncertain. The former president will most likely challenge the subpoena, which was introduced by the panel's vice chair Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) who called Trump a "central player" in the January 6 riots. The subpoena will also expire at the end of the congressional term, so the likelihood that Trump will sit for a testimony under oath is unlikely.