The congressional panel investigating the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol has voted to subpoena Donald Trump.
In a unanimous vote, the former president will now be forced to give evidence to the committee about the events of January 6, 2021, that killed five people and injured hundreds, including many law enforcement officers.
The committee said he “must be held accountable for his actions”.
It has been argued in the hearings so far that Mr Trump incited his supporters on the day Rush into the Capitol – The seat of U.S. power in Washington, D.C.
The expert group could not Mr Trumpbut its series of hearings have been trying to determine his exact involvement.
If the member chooses, it can decide to make a criminal referral to the Department of Justice.
The hearing was told that Mr Trump had orchestrated a multi-part plan to cancel the election results and had acted in a “shocking betrayal of his oath”.
Rush into the Capitol: How four hours of chaos unfolded in Washington
On the morning of January 6, thousands of his supporters – inspired by the inflammatory speech he had just delivered near the White House in which he reiterated that he had been denied re-election for voter fraud – marched to the Capitol.
It was meeting at the time to oversee congressional certification Joe Bidenpresidential election victory.
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A large group, including armed members of far-right groups such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and QAnon, broke through barriers at the pedestrian entrance to the building’s grounds. Several people also entered the Capitol after rioters smashed windows and forcibly opened doors.
debunked
Mr Trump, who lost the Nov. 3, 2020, electoral vote to his Democratic opponent, began insisting the race was “rigged”, leading his opponent to claim a conspiracy against him.
His allegations of vote-rigging have been continuously debunked by electoral authorities.
The former president, a Republican, has so far declined to appear on the committee of seven Democrats and two Republicans.
He can refuse a subpoena, although he is legally obligated to respond positively.
His former aide Steve Bannon was also summoned to the panel but failed to appear in court and has been arrested since Convicted of contempt of Congress this way. He will be sentenced later this month with a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Hundreds of witnesses were interviewed by the Panel and more than 50 were called.
More than 900 people have been charged with crimes related to the 6 January uprising.
Mr Trump has vowed to pardon them if he wins a second presidential term, although he has yet to officially announce that he will be running for re-election.