The fact that the investigative committee for the storming of the Capitol summoned ex-President Trump to testify under oath on January 6, 2021 is spectacular. Even if it will probably never come to this statement. Unless Trump softens.
Attention is the currency that Donald Trump values perhaps even more than the dollars in his bank account. Now the greatest possible dose beckons him – a worldwide audience. He could testify before the January 6, 2021 Capitol Storm Inquiry Committee that just subpoenaed him. Who wouldn’t watch this? Will the former ex-president pass up this opportunity?
Probably yes. In the US, commentators are largely in agreement that he will squander that opportunity. The tenor: Trump will probably not testify. He will defend himself against this in court and the dispute will last so long that the majority in the House of Representatives has meanwhile changed. On November 8th, the Americans re-elect the entire House of Parliament and parts of the Senate. Polls suggest Republicans will win the majority. Since the party still supports Trump almost unanimously, the MPs would then dissolve the committee of inquiry. Your great leader would be off the hook.
If, contrary to expectations, the Democrats defend their majority, the ex-president could still refuse to testify or simply ignore the subpoena, as his associates Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro have done. But then he would have to face a penalty. Trump already has a number of procedures on his hands. He is being investigated in New York because he is said to have considered himself artificially rich in front of banks. Then there’s the dispute over the secret documents he stashed in his country home, Mar-a-Lago, even though they belonged in the national archives. The Justice Department, which is also the US attorney general’s office, is also investigating him for his role in the January 6 events.
Trump would probably want to
So it looks like the subpoena is more of a symbolic act. “We have an obligation to seek answers directly from the man who started this all,” said Liz Cheney, one of two Republicans who co-chaired the committee. In fact, the numerous testimonies hardly allow any other conclusion that Trump had long planned not to admit his election defeat and on January 6 tried to prevent Biden’s election – in order to remain in office himself. If Congress doesn’t summon the prime suspect, it could seem like it’s above the Constitution. Which would be fatal.
But perhaps Trump’s vanity will triumph. Committee member Jamie Raskin said he would consider it a great honor and privilege to testify before Congress. “I can’t think of any American citizen who would not accept an invitation to testify if they were accused of trying to overthrow the government,” the Democrat said.
There is a glimmer of hope: Fox News, citing someone close to him, reports that Trump “loves the idea” of testifying. However, the person also said that it was not yet clear whether he wanted to do it. If so, he would then talk about the allegedly rigged election and how corrupt the investigative committee was. After the announcement that Trump would be summoned, he even asked on his Truth Social network why this hadn’t happened earlier. This Friday he then wrote a letter in reply to Congress, speaking of a “show trial” but not saying how he would react to the subpoena.
Testimony could become a tribunal
He had previously denounced the investigation as a “witch hunt” and also prohibited close associates from cooperating – with his daughter Ivanka, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and ex-Attorney General William Barr making statements. However, there have always been reports that it rankles Trump that no one is defending him with full conviction. He obviously had something to say. This was also made clear in his letter this Friday, which is 14 pages long.
Should Trump actually testify, investigators could confront him with their findings. That would be exciting in any case, since he would be under oath and would be held accountable for false statements. The investigative committee has now evaluated so many documents and interviewed witnesses that it would know exactly if Trump is not telling the truth. Several testimonies were shown again on Thursday, proving that it was very clear to Trump that he had lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. A statement by Trump could become an unofficial tribunal.
But that would not have any legal consequences – unless he is caught making a false statement under oath. The aim of the committee of inquiry is merely to reconstruct the events and at the end to present a report for posterity. It will state that Trump attempted a coup. But hardly any of his fans will read it. His word still applies to them.