Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., would not completely rule out the option of having former president Donald Trump testify live on television before the House committee on January 6.
Trump has not made any public comments about how he will react to the subpoena the committee issued for his testimony and records on Friday.
In response to a question on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” about whether the committee is open to live evidence, its vice chair, Cheney, said: “He’s not going to make this into a circus.”
The committee “takes this situation very seriously,” she declared. “We are going to move on with the former president’s sworn questioning.” It can take many days. And it will be carried out with the seriousness, severity, and discipline that it merits.
The panel, according to Cheney, won’t permit Trump to use his testimony as “his first debate against Joe Biden and the circus and the food fight that that became,” as he did during their previous meeting.
“This group of problems is far too significant. And we’ve made it crystal clear what his responsibilities are. And we are moving forward as planned, she continued.
Later, Cheney’s office modified her comments to show that she wasn’t excluding the prospect of Trump giving a live testimony.
According to evidence and testimony presented by the panel in recent open hearings, Cheney also stated during the interview that she believes Trump has committed “multiple criminal offenses.” She also cautioned that the committee has “many, many alternatives” to take into consideration if he attempts to evade the subpoena.
Cheney stated, “We’ve presented testimony that proved that he admitted that he lost. You cannot send an armed mob to the Capitol, even if he believed he had won.
At its ninth public meeting this month, the committee presented evidence suggesting that Trump was responsible for the carnage at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, and unanimously decided to subpoena him.
The committee’s leaders wrote to Trump in a letter that was attached to the subpoena: “As demonstrated in our hearings, we have assembled overwhelming evidence, including from dozens of your former appointees and staff, that you personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to obstruct the peaceful transition of power.
The subpoena requests that Trump testify on November 14 at 10 a.m. ET, following the midterm elections, either in person or through videoconference.
In response, the panel was charged with “flouting norms and reasonable and usual process” by making the subpoena public, according to David A. Warrington of the Dhillon Law Group, which represented Trump.
Warrington said in a statement, “As with any similar situation, we will evaluate and assess it, and we will respond as required to this unusual move.
ADDENDUM (October 23, 7:27 p.m. ET): Rep. Liz Cheney did not completely rule out the idea that the committee will hear former President Donald Trump’s testimony live, as was previously stated in this article.
