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Rep. Liz Cheney’s January 6 House committee is discussing with former President Donald Trump’s lawyers about her possible testimony.
“The committee is in discussions with President Trump’s lawyers and he has an obligation to fulfill,” Cheney, the committee’s vice chairman, said Tuesday during an interview with PBS reporter Judy Woodruff. at Cleveland State University.
“We’re going to do this very seriously,” Cheney said. “This is not a situation where the committee is going to accuse Donald Trump of what he’s doing to create a circus.”
The House committee followed suit by formally issuing the notice to Trump on October 21.
Trump faces his first deadline this Friday, Nov. 4, the day the announcement calls for him to change the documents. The appeal also requires him to appear for one or more days of release from November 14.
Former President Donald Trump takes a break while speaking at a rally at Minden Tahoe Airport in Minden, Nev., on Oct. 8, 2022.
Jose Luis Villegas/AP, FILE
“As shown in our investigation, we have gathered a lot of evidence, including many former appointees and your staff, that you organized and supervised many activities to overthrow the election. president in 2020 and prevent a peaceful transition of power,” Cheney and Speaker Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., wrote in a letter to Trump.
Trump has not said publicly whether he will cooperate with the announcement. According to sources familiar with his views, Trump told advisers he would be willing to appear live in front of the party. The committee seems unwilling to give Trump the benefit of an unfiltered megaphone to answer lies about the 2020 election.
David Warrington, a lawyer for Trump, said on the day the case was filed that he would “review, analyze and respond as necessary in this unprecedented action.”
Committee members are divided on whether they want Trump to testify in person, but the group has made it clear that the statements must be made under oath.
“We haven’t decided on the exact format but we will do it under oath and it will probably take several days,” Cheney told Woodruff on Tuesday. “We have questions based on the evidence we’ve developed and what we know about the extent of his involvement in all aspects of the operation.”
Vice Chair Liz Cheney speaks to the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, and will hold a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on October 13, 2022.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP, FILE
Woodruff challenged Cheney on whether or not Trump would testify.
“I think he has a legal obligation to show up but it’s not always heavy with Donald Trump,” Cheney said.
When asked whether he believed the committee should file a criminal complaint with the Justice Department if Trump refused, Cheney said he didn’t want to get ahead of the panel’s work.
“The committee is working together and I don’t think there’s any dispute about that, but we have to make a decision,” he said.
The January 6 committee will conclude its work by the end of the year and issue a report on its findings and recommendations to Congress.
– ABC News’ Katherine Faulders contributed to this report.
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