Liz Cheney says Trump won't be able to turn potential Jan. 6 testimony 'into a circus'

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."

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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.