Trump pens fiery response to pending subpoena without confirming if he will testify

trump speaking into microphone photo
(Image credit: Mario Tama / Staff/ Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump on Friday posted a 14-page letter in response to the Jan. 6 committee's vote to subpoena him regarding his involvement in the Capitol attack, The New York Times reports. In the letter, Trump reasserted his beliefs about voter fraud costing him the 2020 presidential election but did not confirm whether he would comply with the subpoena.

A source close to the former president said he has privately told his aides he would be willing to testify to the panel if he could do it live to avoid the recording being edited in a way he'd disapprove of, per the Times.

"The presidential election of 2020 was rigged and stolen!" the letter began in all capital letters, the Times reports. Trump then reiterated his claims about voter fraud, slammed the House panel's work, and bragged about the large crowd that gathered to hear him speak before marching to the Capitol in protest. He also attached aerial photos of the crowd and claimed the media purposefully downplayed the size to slight him, the Times reports.

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Trump had on Thursday questioned the timing behind the subpoena vote, asking on Truth Social, "Why didn't the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago? Why did they wait until the very end, the final moments of their last meeting?" per The Wall Street Journal.

Theara Coleman, The Week US

Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.