While the House Jan. 6 committee "anticipated" that former President Donald Trump would abide by the subpoena it issued to him last week, Rep. Liz Cheney stated on Sunday that "He's not going to turn this into a circus."
Cheney, R-Wyo, said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that this indicated that committee members probably weren't interested in Trump speaking life before the committee in a public setting, as some other witnesses had.
She responded, "The committee takes this situation very seriously. "And we will move on with the former president's oath-based questioning. It can take many days. Furthermore, it shall be carried out with the seriousness, severity, and discipline that it demands."
Cheney stated that the arrangement wouldn't be like this if and when Trump is interviewed "his first debate with Joe Biden, which resulted in a food fight and a circus. This group of problems is far too significant. And we've made it quite clear what his responsibilities are."
Cheney added, "We have many, many alternatives that we will examine" if Trump chooses not to comply or contest the subpoena in court. But she emphasized that Trump is not the only one who must comply with Congress' requests.
Cheney stated, "We've made plain in the subpoena a number of things, including the fact that if he wants to invoke the Fifth [Amendment against self-incrimination], he ought to notify us in advance of that.
The Jan. 6 committee formally served Trump with a subpoena last week following the public session when it was approved for such a step. Although not uncommon, summoning a past president is an unusual action.
The subpoena demands that Trump give over the records by November 4 and show up for one or more days of testimony under oath starting on November 14.
Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi, and Cheney, the chair and vice-chair of the committee, wrote to Trump on Friday, saying, "We appreciate that a subpoena to a former President is a momentous and historic move." We take this activity seriously.
An attorney for Trump responded by saying the committee was "flouting norms."
"We are aware that the Committee has once again disregarded conventions and proper and customary procedure by making a copy of its subpoena available to the public. We will evaluate and analyze it, and will respond to this unprecedented action as appropriate, as we would with any similar situation "Dhillon Law Group partner David Warrington made the statement.
The Jan. 6 committee built a case that Trump illegally attempted to retain power while encouraging his supporters — some of whom he knew were armed — to march to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, sparking the riot, in a series of hearings this summer and fall. The hearings were held by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Without offering an explanation for his behavior, Trump has denied wrongdoing and accused the committee of politically targeting him.
Cheney and Illinois Representative Adam Kinzinger are the only Republicans on the panel; both will be departing Congress in January.