Trump does not say whether he will comply with Jan 6 subpoena

WASHINGTON

Former US President Donald Trump replied on Friday to the House of Representatives committee probing the Jan. 6 insurrection, but did not say whether or not he will comply with the panel's subpoena.

One day after the committee voted unanimously to compel Trump to testify and produce requested documents, Trump responded in a fiery letter in which he continued to claim without justification that the election was stolen from him.

"This memo is being written to express our anger, disappointment, and complaint that with all of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on what many consider to be a Charade and Witch Hunt, and despite strong and powerful requests, you have not spent even a short moment on examining the massive Election Fraud that took place during the 2020 Presidential Election," Trump wrote in a four-page letter that reads like a social media screed.

He further claimed that his supporters who attacked the Capitol nearly two years ago were "great American patriots" who have "had their lives ruined as your Committee sits back and basks in the glow."

"Election Day is coming. We demand answers on the Crime of the Century," he wrote.

The committee investigating Jan. 6 voted unanimously 9-0 on Thursday to subpoena Trump for his testimony, and to have him produce requested documents.

Speaking ahead of the vote, outgoing Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney said the committee "now has sufficient information to answer many of the critical questions posed by Congress," but now needs to hear from "Jan. 6's central player."

She pointed to more than 30 witnesses who were previously brought to testify before the committee who invoked their right against self-incrimination, many of whom did so in response to questions about their interactions with Trump.

"At some point, the Department of Justice may well unearth facts that these and other witnesses are currently concealing. But our duty today is to our country, and our children, and our Constitution," she said.

Should Trump choose not to comply with the congressional subpoena he could face the same fate as his former chief strategist and longtime political ally Steve Bannon. Bannon was found guilty in July on two contempt of Congress charges for failing to appear before the committee and hand over records it sought.

He faces up to one year in prison per count and a fine of between $100 to $100,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 21.