January 6 May Subpoena Committee Chairman Donald Trump

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The chairman of the House select committee charged with investigating the Jan. 6 riot in the capitol said he would seek testimony from Trump administration officials and possibly former President Donald Trump himself.

Representative Bennie Thompson spoke to the UK newspaper Guardian in an interview published on Wednesday and said he would issue subpoenas to some senior members of the previous administration and pursue subpoenas in court if necessary.

Thompson, a Democrat representing Mississippi’s 2nd congressional district, stressed the seriousness of the investigation and said he would like to hear from anyone who spoke to Trump on Jan. 6 — including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

Thompson said he was willing to seek deposition from former Trump officials and members of Congress who may have been involved in the unrest at the Capitol.

“There’s no limit,” Thompson told The Guardian.

“The January 6 issues are one of the most obvious challenges we have as a nation, to ensure that this democracy does not fall prey to people who do not really know democracy,” he added.

Thompson indicated to the newspaper that Trump and McCarthy were among key witnesses for the investigation and he said the committee would review McCarthy’s phone call on Jan. 6 with the former president.

“There won’t be a reluctance on the part of the committee to pursue this,” Thompson said. “The committee wants to know if there is a record of what was said.”

On the question of issuing a subpoena to Trump, Thompson told PBS on July 6 that “we have subpoena authority.”

“If the facts themselves bring us to any individual, we will not hesitate to bring them before the committee,” he said.

The Democrat told The Guardian that anyone who spoke to Trump on the day of the deadly unrest at the Capitol would be the subject of an investigation. He may also seek testimony from Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and other senior officials who were in the Oval Office with Trump on Jan. 6.

“If someone spoke to the president on Jan. 6, I think it’s important for our committee to know what was said. I can’t imagine you even talking to the president on Jan. 6,” Thompson said.

Thompson also discussed the question of Trump administration officials who refuse to testify by mentioning executive privilege. In that situation, Thompson said he would ask the courts to enforce the subpoenas.

“We will pursue this in court,” he said.

Thompson said he expects the House committee and senior investigators to meet with Attorney General Merrick Garland and work closely with the Department of Justice but argued that this investigation would not interfere with any ongoing investigations by Jan. 6.

“We don’t want to block the allegations,” he said. “But I think there may be some sharing of information that could be germane to our investigation, like other committees have negotiated in the past.”

Newsweek asked Representatives Thompson and McCarthy and former President Trump’s office for comment.

Former President Donald Trump speaks with a member of the media after a border security discovery on June 30, 2021 in Weslaco, Texas. The chairman of the House elite committee charged in investigating the Jan. 6 riot in the capitol Bennie Thompson said he would seek testimony from Trump administration officials. Brandon Bell / Getty Images

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