January 6 committee votes to subpoena former President Trump

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – In a public hearing, members of the committee investigating the attack on the Capitol claim former President Trump intentionally deceived his followers — claiming that he won the election.

The committee voted to subpoena Trump in order to try to compel him to answer questions about the attack on the Capitol they say was planned in advance by white supremacist groups.

“The central cause of January sixth was one man: Donald Trump,” Representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) said.

Members of the committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol say the evidence shows former President Trump knew he lost the election, yet he told Americans otherwise.

“This big lie, President Trump’s effort to convince Americans he had won the 2020 election, began before the election results came in. It was intentional. It was premeditated,” Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) said.

Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger made the case that after the election — when all the evidence clearly pointed to Trump’s loss — that lie continued.

“He knew he lost the election, but he made the deliberate choice to ignore the court, to ignore the Justice Department, to ignore his campaign leadership,” Rep. Kinzinger (R-IL) said.

The select committee showed videos that depicted how dire and desperate the situation on Capitol Hill was.

Committee members say evidence and witness interviews show that even as congressional leaders grew desperate — Trump defied their pleas for help.

In a video played by the committee showing the attack, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was shown saying, “there has to be some way that we can maintain the sense that people have that there is some security or some sense of confidence that government can function.”

Pentagon officials said it was ultimately Vice President Mike Pence who called in additional resources like the National Guard, not Trump.

It’s unclear whether Trump will adhere to the subpoena and appear before the committee, which is considering whether to make criminal referrals to the Justice Department.