The subpoena issued to Donald Trump by the Jan. 6 committee for his testimony and records has been withdrawn after lawyers for the panel reportedly notified the twice-impeached former president’s legal team.
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The New York Times reported the development first in the wee hours of Thursday morning. The committee first issued its subpoena to Trump in October and requested that he submit to questions about the attack on the U.S. Capitol and his role in attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Trump, as widely anticipated, rebuffed the committee and sued mere days before he was slated to appear. As Trump has often claimed when subjected to oversight of any kind by the federal government, he called the committee’s subpoena overbroad and unconstitutional. The committee attempted to work with Trump before he sued and investigators even offered to extend the deadlines for his response but the former president refused to cooperate.
According to a letter obtained by the Times, Select Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson told Trump’s legal team: “As you may know, the select committee has concluded its hearings, released its final report, and will very soon reach its end. 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 expires at the end of this year, concluding an 18-month probe that culminated in the publication of its final report last week. The report encapsulates a mountain of evidence investigators found to support its claims that Trump incited an insurrection, made false statements, obstructed an official proceeding, and conspired to defraud the United States.
The panel referred Trump to the Justice Department for the prosecution of those alleged crimes at its final meeting on Dec. 19. In practice, the referrals are symbolic and do not force the Department of Justice to act. The department is already acting, however, and has been for months. Significantly, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed special counsel Jack Smith to lead two probes tied to Trump—and that includes the department’s greater investigation of Jan. 6.
The select committee is also reportedly calling off other subpoenas for potential witnesses since the panel’s time has effectively run out.
Republican Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania’s failed gubernatorial candidate and man-who-said-women-who-receive-abortions-should-be-treated-as-murderers, received a letter from Thompson on Wednesday notifying him of their decision to withdraw the request.
A committee spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.