Donald Trump has let pass a 10 AM deadline from the U.S. House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack, issued via a lawful subpoena ordering him to submit documents. But what he appears to have planned next is what could be seen as thumbing his nose at the Select Committee – and as an insult to, if not an attack on the rule of law.
The Guardian’s Hugo Lowell noted the missed deadline, but adds, “Trump and the committee has been viewing the deadline to be Friday in general, per sources familiar.”
“Expectation has been that Trump will either ask for more time or ignore the subpoena entirely, based on the reasoning that DOJ OLC (Dept. of Justice Office of Legal Counsel] would likely find he has absolute immunity. But final decision is Trump’s, and there are warring factions on how he should respond,” Lowell adds.
RELATED: READ: J6 Committee Officially Issues Damning Subpoena to Trump – Two Weeks to Comply
Former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance, the popular MSNBC/NBC News legal contributor and podcaster, earlier Friday morning wrote: “Today, we find out how Trump intends to handle the J6C subpoena he received.”
“Failure to comply would put him in the same category as Steve Bannon, who was prosecuted, so some effort would be smart.”
Vance later confirmed, “the deadline was 10am. Nothing suggests Trump has turned over documents. Ball is in the committee’s court.”
But the Select Committee’s subpoena also has another date on it: November 14.
That’s the date Trump is legally required to appear before the Select Committee to testify.
Multiple news outlets Friday are reporting Trump intends to announce his third presidential run on November 14.
“Two sources said Trump’s team has specifically discussed November 14 as one possible announcement date,” CNN reports.
“Trump is expected to announce a third White House campaign soon after the midterms, possibly as soon as Nov. 14, according to people familiar with the planning,” The New York Times adds.
And Trump’s now expected November 14 announcement has been the lead story at the top of the hour much of the day.
None, it appears, have noted that he’s required to testify that day.
If he appears to testify he could be expected to hijack the news media with his presidential run announcement on Nov. 14, as he enters and exits the Committee’s offices, inciting his base even further against the Committee.
And if he doesn’t appear, ignoring the subpoena and the Committee, it’s an even greater insult to or attack on the rule of law.
Meanwhile, the Select Committee’s attached letter supporting its subpoena was damning.
In part, it accuses Trump of (below are direct quotes):
• Purposely and maliciously disseminating false allegations of fraud related to the 2020 presidential election in order to aid your effort to overturn the election and for purposes of soliciting contributions;
• Attempting to corrupt the Department of Justice, including by soliciting and enlisting Department officials to make false statements and aid your effort to overturn the presidential election;
• Without any evidentiary basis, illegally pressuring state officials and legislators to change the results of the election in their states;
• Orchestrating and overseeing an effort to obtain and transmit false electoral certificates to Congress and the National Archives;
• Despite knowing specifically that it was illegal, corruptly pressuring your own Vice President to unilaterally refuse to count electoral votes during Congress’s joint session on January 6th;
• Pressuring Members of Congress to object to valid slates of electors from several states;
• Filing false information, under oath, in federal court;
• Summoning tens of thousands of supporters to Washington and, knowing they were angry and some were armed, sending them to the Capitol;
• Sending a social media message to the nation at 2:24 p.m.-while knowing full well that the violent attack on the Capitol was occurring in which you incited further violence by publicly condemning your Vice President: and
• Refusing for hours to disband your rioting supporters by instructing them to leave the Capitol, while you watched the attack unfold on television.
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