Rep. Adam Kinzinger says Trump is 'required by law' to testify before January 6 committee: 'He can ramble and push back all he wants'

Authored by businessinsider.com and submitted by morenewsat11

Rep. Adam Kinzinger said Donald Trump is required to testify before the Jan. 6 panel after it subpoenaed him.

In a letter responding to the subpoena, Trump did not say whether he would testify.

Trump has told some aides that he would speak before the panel if his testimony is broadcast live.

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Rep. Adam Kinzinger said former President Donald Trump is "required by law" to testify before the House January 6 committee.

Kinzinger's comments come after Trump sent a letter responding to the committee's recent subpoena in which he repeated his disproven claims about the 2020 election being stolen from him.

"We made a decision — in front of the American people, not behind closed doors— to begin the process of subpoenaing the former president. He is required by law to come in, and he can ramble and push back all he wants. That's the requirement for a congressional subpoena, to come in," Kinzinger said on the ABC News show "This Week" on Sunday.

He added that statements from the former president, often made on his platform Truth Social, have been "increasingly long and even more rambling."

Trump has told those close to him that he might comply with the subpoena if it is broadcast live, according to The New York Times. Advisors close to Trump have said "he should not" testify during a live broadcast, Insider previously reported, citing a report from The Daily Beast.

Kinzinger said that the committee would negotiate with Trump on that matter if he makes that request to them.

"I think that's going to be a negotiation," Kinzinger said on ABC News. "I'll only address that when we know for sure whether or not the president has tried to push to come in and talk to us live."

Asked if the Justice Department should hold Trump in criminal contempt if he refuses to testify, Kinzinger said that is "a bridge we cross if we have to get there."

"We want to speak to the president. Look, he's made it clear he has nothing to hide, is what he said. So he should come in on the day we asked him to come in. If he pushes off beyond that, we'll figure out what to do next," Kinzinger said.

Cardboardopinions on October 16th, 2022 at 15:27 UTC »

He’s still out there pushing the Big Lie, campaigning for what? He calls Babbitt a hero at these campaigns. He STILL incites violence with his outrageously stupid double speak. We’re not all as dumb as his followers. It’s a national embarrassment.

Chi-Guy86 on October 16th, 2022 at 15:26 UTC »

Required by law doesn’t mean anything unless you’re willing to enforce that requirement using any and all means available to you

hskfmn on October 16th, 2022 at 15:25 UTC »

Why would Trump comply with the law? He hasn’t had any reason to do so thus far. And he hasn’t faced any accountability for the blatant other crimes he’s demonstrably committed.