'Donald Trump will lose this litigation': House Jan. 6 committee dismisses lawsuit as delay tactic, obstruction

Former President Donald Trump sued the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the National Archives on Monday, claiming "the committee's request amounts to nothing less than a vexatious, illegal fishing expedition" that aims to "unconstitutionally investigate" Trump and his administration. The committee chairman, Rep. Bennie Thomson (D-Miss.), and co-chair Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) dismissed the lawsuit as "nothing more than an attempt to delay and obstruct our probe."
"Precedent and law are on our side," Thomson and Cheney said in their Monday night statement. "We'll fight the former president's attempt to obstruct our investigation while we continue to push ahead successfully with our probe on a number of other fronts." Committee member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) had a similar message on Monday night's Late Show.
"What substantively does that mean, suing the Jan. 6 committee?" Stephen Colbert asked Schiff. Trump is trying to do what he did for all four years he was president, "which is try to use the courts to delay, try to prevent the country from learning about his corruption," Schiff said. "Donald Trump will lose this litigation, and he knows he'll lose the litigation. The point isn't winning, the point is delaying." Colbert asked about the timeline, and Schiff said the committee wants "this investigation done as soon as possible, but no later than next year."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Jan. 6 committee is voting Tuesday evening on a referral to hold former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon in criminal contempt for refusing to comply with the committee's subpoena. Schiff started his Late Show interview explaining how the committee is "going after" Bannon, and why it's important to investigate all of Trump's possible transgressions while in office. "I think you can't have a situation where you can't prosecute a sitting president, and when they leave office, you can't prosecute a former president, because if that's the case, then the president really does become above the law," he said.
Schiff also recounted to Colbert his experience on Jan. 6 itself, his sad anger over how his Republican colleagues have changed, and how Jan. 6 differed from 9/11.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Donald Trump's foreign policy flip in the Middle East
Talking Point Surprise lifting of sanctions on Syria shows Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar are now effectively 'dictating US foreign policy'
-
Elon Musk says he's 'done enough' political spending. What does that really mean?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The world's richest man predicted he'd do 'a lot less' electoral financing moving forward. Has Washington seen the last of the tech titan?
-
Tied Supreme Court blocks church charter school
speed read The court upheld the Oklahoma Supreme Court's decision to bar overtly religious public charter schools
-
'Organ donation is kindness'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Home energy: Bills are up, efficiency is out
Feature The Energy Star program saves Americans billions of dollars, but the Trump administration plans to 'eliminate' it.
-
Judge scolds DOJ over Newark mayor arrest
speed read Ras Baraka was arrested during a May 9 surprise visit to a migrant detention facility
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims