🏛️ The Presidential Subpoena

Former President Donald Trump has been subpoenaed to testify before the January 6th committee. The House committee issued the subpoena on Friday after months of testimony, which they say points to Trump as the mastermind behind the January 6th insurrection. “As demonstrated in our hearings, we have assembled overwhelming evidence, including from dozens of your former appointees and staff, that you personally orchestrated and oversaw a multipart effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to obstruct the peaceful transition of power,” Representatives Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney wrote to Trump, cites The New York Times. Yet, it is unclear if the former president will appear before the committee at all. And all this again a backdrop of multiple other legal cases facing Trump.

• Trump himself has called the subpoena and the committee “a total bust,” says NPR. And a lawyer for the former president said “We understand that, once again, flouting norms and appropriate and customary process, the Committee has publicly released a copy of its subpoena. As with any similar matter, we will review and analyze it, and will respond as appropriate to this unprecedented action.”

Tightening Circle

On the same day Trump was indicted, Steve Bannon was convicted and sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress. Bannon, who ran Trump's campaign and then became an outside advisor to the administration, flaunted a Congressional subpoena. Peter Navarro, the former White House Trade Advisor, was similarly indicted and will face trial next month, says The Times.

The Verdict

The issue of extraordinary circumstances continues to come up in Trump's legal battles. Yes, subpoenaing and even indicting a former president should not be taken lightly. But that doesn't also mean that a former president is above the law in any way.