The panel will not take Trump's live testimony on January 6

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Raising the stakes for its extraordinary subpoena for Donald Trump, the House committee investigating the Capitol riot said Sunday it will not consider allowing the former president to testify on live television about the direct role congressional investigators say he played. played in the attempt to cancel the 2020 election. The committee is seeking sworn testimony from Trump next month, as well as records relevant to the investigation. To avoid a complicated and lengthy legal battle, Trump has reportedly told colleagues he might consider complying with a subpoena if he can answer questions during a live deposition. But Rep. Liz Cheney, the committee’s vice chairwoman, on Sunday dismissed that possibility. She said the committee, which makes its major decisions by unanimous consent, would not allow Trump’s testimony to turn into a televised “food fight,” and she warned the committee would take action if he did not comply with the subpoena. “I’m going to continue in terms of questioning the former president under oath,” Cheney, R-Wyo., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It may take a few days, and it will be done with the level of rigor and discipline and seriousness that it deserves. We’re not going to let — he’s not going to turn this into a circus.” “We have many, many alternatives that we will consider if the former president decides that he is not going to comply with his legal obligation, the legal obligation of every American citizen, to comply with a subpoena,” she said. It’s unclear how Trump and his legal team will ultimately respond. He could obey or negotiate with the committee, announce that he would not neglect the subpoena or ignore it altogether. He can go to court and try to stop it. Still, Trump has little legal leverage left to cooperate with the committee at a time when he faces other legal battles in various jurisdictions, including over his family business in New York and the management of presidential records at his Mar-a- Laga in Florida. It’s possible that his lawyers may simply run out the clock on the subpoena if they go to court to try to overturn it, as the committee of two Republicans and seven Democrats must complete its work by the end of the year. Cheney made clear her position in a televised interview that Trump had committed “several criminal offenses” and should be held accountable. She cited his repeated efforts, the committee revealed on Jan. 6, to undermine democracy by denying his election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden and inciting his supporters to violently attack the Capitol. “We’ve been very clear about the number of criminal offenses that are likely to be dealt with here,” Cheney said. “If the Department of Justice determines that they have the evidence that we believe they have and they decide not to prosecute, I think that really calls into question whether we are a lawful country.” Cheney, who lost the Wyoming primary in August after becoming the GOP’s fiercest critic of Trump, expressed concern about the number of Republican candidates in the Nov. 8 midterms who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 election. She acknowledged that the committee’s Jan. 6 investigation will be permanently closed in January when Republicans regain control of the House. Saying it could take “several election cycles,” Cheney insisted the Republican Party could find a way back as the defender of democracy and the Constitution, as it stood. She pointed to the 2024 presidential campaign as a pivotal moment. “I think the party has to either come back from where we are now, which is a very dangerous, toxic place, or the party is going to split and there’s going to be a new conservative party that’s rising,” she said. “And if Donald Trump is the nominee of the Republican Party, the party will collapse and the conservative party will rise in its place.” She said Trump has demonstrated “his willingness to use force to try to stop a peaceful transition. And there are many, many millions of Americans who, regardless of party affiliation, understand how dangerous this is.”

WASHINGTON —

The committee requires Trump’s sworn testimony next month, as well as records relevant to the investigation. To avoid a complicated and lengthy legal battle, Trump has reportedly told colleagues that he may consider complying with a subpoena if he can answer questions during live testimony.

But Rep. Liz Cheney, the committee’s vice chairwoman, on Sunday dismissed that possibility. She said the committee, which makes key decisions by unanimous consent, would not allow Trump’s testimony to turn into a televised “food fight” and warned the committee would take action if he did not comply with the subpoena.

“We will continue to question the former president under oath,” Cheney, R-Wyo., said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “It may take a few days and it will be done with the level of rigor, discipline and seriousness it deserves. We will not allow – he is not going to turn this into a circus.”

“We have many, many alternatives that we will consider if the former president decides that he will not comply with his legal obligation, the legal obligation of every American citizen to comply with a subpoena,” she said.

It’s unclear how Trump and his legal team will ultimately respond. He could obey or negotiate with the committee, announce that he would not neglect the subpoena or ignore it altogether. He could go to court and try to stop it.

Still, Trump has a small legal advantage to cooperate with the committee at a time when he faces other legal battles in various jurisdictions, including over his family business in New York and the handling of presidential documents at his Mar-a- Lago in Florida.

It’s possible his lawyers could simply run out the clock on the subpoena if they go to court to try to overturn it, as the committee of two Republicans and seven Democrats must finish its work by the end of the year.

Cheney made clear her position in a televised interview that Trump had committed “several criminal offenses” and should be held accountable. She cited his repeated efforts, as outlined by the committee on Jan. 6, to undermine democracy by denying his election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden and inciting his supporters to violently attack the Capitol.

“We’ve been very clear about a number of different criminal offenses that are likely being dealt with here,” Cheney said. “If the Department of Justice determines that they have the evidence that we believe they have and they decide not to prosecute, I think that really calls into question whether we are a lawful country.”

Cheney, who lost Wyoming’s August primary after becoming the GOP’s fiercest critic of Trump, expressed concern about the number of Republican candidates in the Nov. 8 midterms who deny the legitimacy of the 2020 election. She acknowledged that the committee’s Jan. 6 investigation will be finally shut down in January when Republicans regain control of the House.

Saying it could take “several election cycles,” Cheney insisted the Republican Party could find a way back as the defender of democracy and the Constitution, as she said. She noted the 2024 presidential campaign as a key moment.

“I think the party has to either come back from where we are now, which is a very dangerous, toxic place, or the party will split and there will be a new conservative party that will rise,” she said. “And if Donald Trump is the nominee of the Republican Party, the party will collapse and the conservative party will rise in its place.”

She said Trump has demonstrated “his willingness to use force to try to stop a peaceful transition of power. And there are many, many millions more Americans who, regardless of party affiliation, understand how dangerous this is.”

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