WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democrats on Thursday asked Donald Trump to testify under oath in his Senate indictment trial, challenging the former president to explain why he and his lawyers have disputed key factual allegations. in the center of the case.
The request from the House prosecution managers does not require Trump to appear, although the Senate could later cite him, but warns that any refusal to testify could be used at trial to support arguments for a condemnation. Even if Trump never testifies, the petition highlights Democrats ’determination to file an aggressive case against him, even though he has left the White House, and challenges him to personally explain the words of his lawyers.
A Trump adviser did not immediately return any message asking for comments on the executives ’letter.
The trial of the prosecution in the Senate begins on February 9th. Trump is accused of inciting a crowd of supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6th. Democrats have said a trial is needed to provide a final measure of accountability. They also intend to disable him from seeking charges again.
In the letter, Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, one of the impeachment managers, asked Trump to testify “before or during the Senate impeachment trial,” and in cross-examination, about his conduct on Jan. 6 as early as Monday. , On February 8 and, at most, on Thursday, February 11th.
Raskin’s request cites the words of Trump’s own lawyers, who in a legal letter earlier this week not only denied that Trump had instigated the riot, but also claimed that he had “acted admirably in his role of president, doing what the thought did was in the best interest of the American people.
With that argument, Raskin said, Trump had questioned the critical facts of the case “despite the clear and overwhelming evidence of your constitutional crime.”
“In light of your challenge to these factual allegations, I am writing to invite you to testify under oath, before or during the Senate removal trial, on your conduct on January 6, 2021,” he said. write Raskin.
Raskin wrote that if Trump refuses to testify, executives will use his refusal against him at trial, a similar argument put forward by the Democratic House in last year’s impeachment trial, when many Trump officials ignored the citations.
“In fact, while an incumbent president may raise concerns about the distraction from his official duties, that concern is obviously inapplicable here,” Raskin wrote.
Trump may reject the request to testify and the dismissal managers have no authority to subpoena witnesses now, as the House has already voted to prosecute him. The Senate could vote to subpoena him, or any other witness, by simple majority.