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The Democrat-led Jan. 6 House Committee has made a stunning decision as it pertains to former President Donald Trump. In correspondence sent to Trump attorney David Warrington the committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson said that it had withdrawn its subpoena of the former president, Breitbart News reported.
“As you may know, the Select Committee has concluded its hearings, released its final report, and will very soon reach its end. In light of the imminent end of our investigation, the Select Committee can no longer pursue the specific information covered by the subpoena. Therefore, through this letter, I hereby formally withdraw the subpoena issued to former President Trump, and notify you that he is no longer obligated to comply or produce records in response to said subpoena,” he said. “We appreciate your engagement with the Select Committee on this matter.”
The former president responded to the news on his Truth Social account.
“Was just advised that the Unselect Committee of political Thugs has withdrawn the Subpoena of me,” he said before continuing his assertions about the election. “They probably did so because they knew I did nothing wrong, or they were about to lose in Court.”
“In any event, the Subpoena is DEAD!” he said.
Thompson, the chairman of the committee, told reporters on this month that the panel has not yet narrowed down the individuals who may be referred to the DOJ. When a reporter asked Thompson if he believed any witnesses perjured themselves when they testified before the committee, he said, “that’s part of the discussion.”
The committee’s probe is nearing its end before Republicans take control of the U.S. House in January. Now, some after venting frustration with outgoing Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, who has drawn anger from staffers working for the House Committee for her insistence on going after former President Donald Trump.
JUST IN: The House January 6 committee will make criminal referrals to the Justice Department, chairman Bennie Thompson says https://t.co/HNQnlKAJjb
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 6, 2022
According to the Washington Post, at least 15 current and former staffers for the committee have said they believe the Wyoming Republican is working behind the scenes to ensure that the final report focuses primarily on former President Donald Trump at the expense of other important information.
“We all came from prestigious jobs, dropping what we were doing because we were told this would be an important fact-finding investigation that would inform the public,” a former staffer told the outlet. “But when [the committee] became a Cheney 2024 campaign, many of us became discouraged.”
Jeremy Adler, a spokesman for Cheney, said the lawmaker, who was beaten in an August primary by now Rep.-elect Harriet Hageman, said his boss was merely attempting to protect the integrity of the panel’s work by eliminating “liberal bias” and narratives that otherwise tainted the investigative work done by the committee as well as a draft report.
“Donald Trump is the first president in American history to attempt to overturn an election and prevent the peaceful transfer of power,” Adler told WaPo in a statement. “So, damn right, Liz is ‘prioritizing’ understanding what he did and how he did it and ensuring it never happens again.”
“Some staff have submitted subpar material for the report that reflects long-held liberal biases about federal law enforcement, Republicans, and sociological issues outside the scope of the Select Committee’s work,” Adler continued. “She won’t sign onto any ‘narrative’ that suggests Republicans are inherently racist or smears men and women in law enforcement, or suggests every American who believes God has blessed America is a white supremacist.”
The chairman of the committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), was previously asked by a reporter if the committee would be sending criminal referrals for the former president or others, and he responded by saying the committee does not have that authority.
“No, you know, we’re going to tell the facts. If the Department of Justice looks at it and assumes that there’s something that needs further review, I’m sure they’ll do it,” he said.
He was asked again and explained, “No, that’s not our job. Our job is to look at the facts and circumstances around January 6, what caused it, and make recommendations after that.”
