Jan. 6 Committee votes unanimously to subpoena Trump



The congressional committee investigating the rioting at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 voted unanimously to subpoena former President Donald Trump on Thursday.

The committee presented witnesses and evidence meant to tie Trump directly to the violence at the capital before voting to call him to testify.

"We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion. And every American is entitled to those answers so we can act now to protect our Republic," said Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the vice chair of the committee.

The subpoena asked for testimony under oath from the former president as well as documents relating to the attack.

"We just voted unanimously to subpoena Donald Trump," tweeted Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois. "Our democracy demands it. Our constitution demands it. The truth demands it."

The committee presented evidence in support of its contention that Trump knew he had lost the election but persisted in seeking to stay in power. Among that evidence was a secret order to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Somalia days after the election. Testimony from Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, claimed that Trump wanted to leave the problem up "to the next guy."

Among those critical of the subpoena was Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona.

"The illegitimate January 6 Committee's vote to subpoena President Trump is a political hatchet job read by a political hatchet committee," tweeted Biggs.

"This committee is illegitimately formed, in violation of House rules, and is organized to search and destroy perceived political enemies," he added.

The committee is expected to issue a final report in December before it shuts down in January.

Here's more about the Jan. 6 vote:

WATCH: Jan. 6 panel votes to subpoena Trumpwww.youtube.com

BREAKING: Trump sues to block release of White House documents to Jan. 6 committee



Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit to block the release of White House documents from his administration to the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The lawsuit asserts that the former president still has the right to executive privilege.

Trump had previously requested that the Biden administration assert executive privilege over the documents. These requests from past presidents are traditionally honored by their successors, but President Joe Biden denied it, citing special circumstances.

The legal fight is over 40 documents being sought by the committee but Trump has demanded that any future requests be denied as well.

The lawsuit claimed that the requests by the congressional committee "are unprecedented in their breadth and scope and are untethered from any legitimate legislative purpose."

The lawsuit argues that the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional if it is "read so broadly as to allow an incumbent President unfettered discretion to waive the previous President's executive privilege, mere months following an administration change."

A spokesperson for the former president also released a statement about the lawsuit.

"The January 6th Committee is a partisan sham to distract Americans from the Democrats' policies that are killing and robbing Americans," read the statement from Taylor Budowich, director of communications.

"The media is complicit in advancing the Committee's unconstitutionally flawed request," he added.

Budowich went on to say outline the legal argument against the request, saying that it had no legitimate legislative purpose, that Biden doesn't have the power to waive executive privilege for a former president, and that the National Archives was not given enough time to review the request.

"The Committee isn't seeking the truth," Budowich concluded, "it's seeking Communist-style political persecution of President Trump and the America First patriots who served their country honorably."

The lawsuit says that the National Archives would fork over the documents requested on Nov. 12 unless it was blocked by a court order.

The committee has also issued subpoenas to former Trump administration officials for documents and testimony about the Jan. 6 rioting. Some have refused the subpoenas and vowed to fight them in court.

Here's a news report about the lawsuit:

Trump sues to block release of documents to Jan. 6 committeewww.youtube.com