January 6 panel drops Donald Trump subpoena

US House committee investigating pro-Trump insurrection made the decision as it prepares to dissolve

'There will come a day when Donald Trump is gone, but your dishonour will remain.' Congresswoman and January 6 committee vice chairwoman Liz Cheney to Republican colleagues who have defended Mr Trump's claims of election fraud. AFP

'January 6 was the culmination of an attempted coup - a brazen attempt, as one rioter put it shortly after January 6 - to overthrow the government.' Committee chairman Bennie Thompson. EPA

Mr Trump 'was willing to sacrifice our republic to prolong his presidency. I can imagine no more dishonourable acts by a president.' Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger. AFP

Donald Trump had this 'arsenal of allegations. I went through them piece by piece to say, no, they were not true'. Former acting deputy attorney general Richard Donoghue. EPA

'There were no votes to find.' Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger after Donald Trump asked him and his deputy, Gabriel Sterling, to 'find 11,780' votes that could flip Georgia in the president's favour. AFP

Competing against Donald Trump’s lies was like a 'shovel trying to empty the ocean'. Gabriel Sterling, Georgia Secretary of State chief operating officer. AFP

'As an American, I was disgusted. It was unpatriotic, it was un-American. We were watching the Capitol building get defaced over a lie.' Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to then White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, speaking about the insurrection. AFP

'I told him [Donald Trump] that the stuff his people were shovelling out to the public was bull***t.' Former attorney general William Barr. AP

'I respect attorney general Barr. So, I accepted what he was saying.' Ivanka Trump, former White House senior adviser. AP

'We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country any more.' Donald Trump on January 6, 2021. Reuters

A Confederate battle flag that reads 'Come and Take It' and shows a military-style rifle flies as rioters storm the Capitol on January 6, 2001. Reuters

A Trump supporter sprays smoke. Reuters

Police attempt to push the mob back. AFP

The pro-Trump mob swarms the Capitol as police release tear gas. Reuters

Protesters clash with police. Reuters

Pro-Trump protesters storm into the US Capitol. Reuters

A police flash-bang blast lights up the Capitol. Reuters

Before the insurrection, Mr Trump is seen on a screen speaking to supporters during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results. Reuters

People march with those who say they are members of the Proud Boys as they attend a rally in Washington in support of former president Donald Trump. AP

The US House of Representatives committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection dropped a subpoena for former president Donald Trump as it wraps up its work and prepares to dissolve next week.

“As you may know, the select committee has concluded its hearings, released its final report and will very soon reach its end,” chairman Bennie Thompson wrote.

“In light of the imminent end of our investigation, the select committee can no longer pursue the specific information covered by the subpoena.”

The committee had voted to subpoena Mr Trump during its final televised hearing before the midterm elections in October, demanding evidence and documents from the former president as it investigated his role in the 2021 Capitol insurrection and efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat.

Members of the panel have acknowledged the subpoena would be difficult to enforce, especially as Republicans are poised to take over the House in January.

Still, the move had political and symbolic value.

“We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion,” Liz Cheney, the panel’s vice chairwoman and one of two Republicans on the nine-member committee, said at the time.

“And every American is entitled to those answers.”

Mr Trump sued the panel in November to avoid co-operating, with the lawsuit contending that while former presidents have voluntarily agreed to provide evidence or documents in response to congressional subpoenas in the past, “no president or former president has ever been compelled to do so”.

In its final report issued last week, the committee concluded that Mr Trump engaged in a “multipart conspiracy” to upend the 2020 election and failed to act on the violence.

It also recommended that the Justice Department investigate the former president for four separate crimes, including aiding an insurrection.

On social media on Wednesday evening, Mr Trump and his lawyers chose to spin the move as a victory.

“They probably did so because they knew I did nothing wrong, or they were about to lose in court,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social. He called the panel members “political thugs”.

On Twitter, Trump lawyer Harmeet Dhillon said the panel had “waved the white flag”.