Dhe investigative committee into the attack on the US Capitol officially withdrew former President Donald Trump’s subpoena after the publication of its final report. Democratic committee chairman Bennie Thompson informed Trump’s lawyers about this in a letter, as several US media, including the “New York Times” and the broadcaster CNN, reported on Thursday night. Thompson justified the step by saying that the panel had finished its work. In view of this, the information that was the subject of the subpoena could not be pursued further.
The newly elected Congress will convene next Tuesday and the Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives. The democratically led committee of inquiry there will then be dissolved.
Only after months of work and after numerous hearings with Trump confidants did the panel decide last October to summon the ex-president himself. This was a rare escalation to an ex-president. Trump fought back with a lawsuit. He now counted the withdrawal of the summons as a success. On the social media platform Truth Social, which he co-founded, Trump wrote: “They probably did it because they knew I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Shortly before Christmas, the committee presented its final report, in which Trump was given primary responsibility for the Capitol attack. The panel advised, among other things, to exclude Trump from another presidency. In its most recent public hearing, the panel also recommended criminal prosecution of Trump on four counts.
Trump supporters violently stormed the seat of parliament in Washington on January 6, 2021. Congress met there to formally confirm Democrat Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election. Trump had previously incited his supporters in a speech that he had been deprived of a victory by massive election fraud. Five people died as a result of the riots.
