Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said on Sunday that it doesn't matter if former President Donald Trump testifies before the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack live on television or behind closed doors, "He's not going to turn this into a circus."
Cheney, the committee's vice chair, made the remarks during Sunday's Meet the Press. The panel subpoenaed Trump on Friday for both his testimony and documents related to the Capitol riot, giving him until 10 a.m. ET on Nov. 14 to testify at the Capitol or via video conference.
Trump hasn't personally made any public declarations about how he will respond to the subpoena, but people close to him told The New York Times he said he would cooperate if given the opportunity to provide live testimony. When asked if the Jan. 6 panel would approve of Trump testifying live on television, Cheney did not outright reject the idea, saying, "The committee treats this matter with great seriousness. We are going to proceed in terms of the questioning of the former president under oath. It may take multiple days. And it will be done with a level of rigor and discipline and seriousness that it deserves."
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.
Cheney stressed Trump would not have the chance to turn his testimony into "his first debate against Joe Biden," adding, "This is a far too serious set of issues. And we've made clear exactly what his obligations are. And we are proceeding with that set out."
The evidence and testimony gathered by the committee and shown at its nine public hearings shows that Trump committed "multiple criminal offenses," Cheney said, and if Trump ignores the subpoena, the panel has "many, many alternatives" that will allow them to get his testimony and documents.
-
Nepal chooses toddler as its new ‘living goddess’Under the Radar Girls between two and four are typically chosen to live inside the temple as the Kumari – until puberty strikes
-
October 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
Russia: already at war with Europe?Talking Point As Kremlin begins ‘cranking up attacks’ on Ukraine’s European allies, questions about future action remain unanswered
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feudSpeed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
‘This isn’t just semantics’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Miami Freedom Tower’s MAGA library squeezeTHE EXPLAINER Plans to place Donald Trump’s presidential library next to an iconic symbol of Florida’s Cuban immigrant community has South Florida divided
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protestersSpeed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
