Trump filed the lawsuit in an attempt to avoid a committee subpoena on Jan. 6
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is suing the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to block a subpoena requiring him to testify.
The lawsuit alleges that while former presidents have voluntarily agreed to provide testimony or documents in response to congressional subpoenas in the past, “no president or former president has ever been compelled to do so.”
“Long-standing precedent and practice hold that the separation of powers prohibits Congress from compelling the president to testify before it,” Trump’s lawyer, David A. Warrington, said in a statement announcing Trump’s intentions.
He said Trump had “engaged in good faith with the Committee to address these issues consistent with executive prerogatives and the separation of powers,” but said the group “insisted on following the policy path, leaving President Trump no choice but to involve the third branch, the judiciary, in this dispute between the executive and the legislature.’
The lawsuit likely dooms Trump’s prospect of ever testifying, given that the committee is expected to disband at the end of the legislative session in January. The committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
The committee voted to subpoena Trump during the final televised hearing before the midterm elections officially did so last month, demanding testimony from the former president. Committee members allege that Trump “personally orchestrated” a multi-pronged effort to overturn the 2020 election results.
They said Trump was scheduled to testify either at the Capitol or via video conference “beginning on or about” Nov. 14 and continuing for several days if necessary.
The letter also described a broad request for documents, including personal communications between Trump and members of Congress, as well as extremist groups.
In their lawsuit, Trump’s lawyers called the subpoena overbroad and called it a violation of his First Amendment rights. They also claim that sources other than Trump can provide the same information they want from him.
The lawsuit comes as Trump is expected to launch a third presidential campaign next week.
It was filed in the Southern District of Florida, where other Trump lawyers successfully sued to secure a special master tasked with conducting an independent review of documents seized by the FBI during the Aug. 8 search of Mar-a-Lago. ___ Associated Press writer Farnoosh Amiri contributed to this report.
https://wgntv.com/news/trump-files-lawsuit-to-avoid-jan-6-committee-subpoena/