Donald Trump Sues Jan 6 Committee To Avoid Subpoena For His Testimony

Filings in a federal court in Florida revealed that former President Donald Trump has sued the panel that's investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 riot, as a way to challenge its subpoena for his testimony.

It sets up a legal battle over the extent of executive power, reported The Guardian. The lawsuit appears to reflect an attempt by Trump to delay compliance with the subpoena. It is in an effort that could end with a constitutional showdown with the House of Representatives before the U.S. supreme court. The former President is challenging the legitimacy of the Jan. 6 committee. The suit is also claiming that he should be immune from testimony about the time he was the U.S. President.

Trump’s legal team said that they’ve communicated with the House in the last few days as the subpoena deadlines neared. They offered to consider answering written questions. They also expressed “concerns and objections” about the bulk of the documents request, according to CNN. His lawyers argued in the lawsuit that the subpoena’s request for testimony and documents from Trump is an "unwarranted intrusion upon the institution of the Presidency." The reason being there are "other sources of the requested information." They include the "thousand-plus witnesses the committee has contacted and one million documents that the committee has collected."

The suit said that the panel also may obtain "abundant government records relevant to its inquiry." It further read that because of the availability to "obtain testimony and documents from other readily available sources, the subpoena is invalid.”

The House’s demands, if Trump met them, would violate privilege protections around the executive branch, he said. It includes revealing conversations that he had with Justice Department officials and members of Congress about the 2020 U.S. Presidential election and “pending governmental business.”

David Warrington, Trump's lawyer, said in a statement that “long-held precedent and practice maintain that separation of powers prohibits Congress from compelling a President to testify before it.”

The former President's back-and-forth with the House followed by the latest lawsuit will make it difficult for the Jan. 6 committee to enforce the subpoena. The dispute essentially will be unresolvable before the current Congress expires in January 2023.

CBS News reported that the suit comes as Trump is expected to launch a third campaign for President this week.