Donald Trump sues Jan. 6 Committee to block subpoena
Former President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit on Friday in an attempt to stop the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack from subpoenaing him, NBC News reported.
The subpoena was previously ordered by the committee in an effort to compel Trump to testify before them, as well as provide documents related to Jan. 6. However, Trump's lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in South Florida, seeks to invalidate the subpoena and stop it from being enforced.
Lawyers for Trump wrote in the lawsuit that the committee had no constitutional authority to subpoena a former president, and claimed he had "absolute testimonial immunity" from Congress. The court must now decide if Congress has the power to compel presidential testimony.
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.
USA Today reported that there is some historical precedent, noting that former Presidents John Tyler and John Quincy Adams had both been subjected to subpoenas related to a congressional investigation in 1846, and both had cooperated with the order.
Beyond this subpoena, the fact that Trump refuses to cooperate is unique in American history, USA Today noted, as both sitting and former presidents have voluntarily testified before Congress. This includes former President Abraham Lincoln in 1862, former President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, and former President Gerald Ford in 1974. Former Presidents Ford, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Harry Truman additionally all testified after leaving office.
This is the second subpoena from the committee that the former president has fought, previously battling an effort to seize his administration's documents from the National Archives.
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
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Foreigners in Spain facing a 100% tax on homes as the country battles a housing crisis
Under the Radar The goal is to provide 'more housing, better regulation and greater aid,' said Spain's prime minister
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: January 22, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Codeword: January 22, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Trump starts term with spate of executive orders
Speed Read The president is rolling back many of Joe Biden's climate and immigration policies
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump pardons or commutes all charged Jan. 6 rioters
Speed Read The new president pardoned roughly 1,500 criminal defendants charged with crimes related to the Capitol riot
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump declares 'golden age' at indoor inauguration
In the Spotlight Donald Trump has been inaugurated as the 47th president of the United States
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
'The death and destruction happening in Gaza still dominate our lives'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Silicon Valley: bending the knee to Donald Trump
Talking Point Mark Zuckerberg's dismantling of fact-checking and moderating safeguards on Meta ushers in a 'new era of lies'
By The Week UK Published
-
Will auto safety be diminished in Trump's second administration?
Today's Big Question The president-elect has reportedly considered scrapping a mandatory crash-reporting rule
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
DeSantis appoints Florida's top lawyer to US Senate
Speed Read The state's attorney general, Ashley Moody, will replace Sen. Marco Rubio in the Senate
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published