Politics- Speaker Pelosi said she doesn't think Donald Trump is "man enough" to testify before the January 6 panel.
- The panel subpoenaed Trump, calling for him to submit documents and testify by mid-November.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she doesn't think former President Donald Trump is "man enough" to be deposed before the Jan. 6 committee.
The committee officially subpoenaed Trump on Friday, demanding he turn over critical documents by November 4 and appear before the committee by November 14, just about a week after the midterm elections.
"I don't think he's man enough to show up," Pelosi told Jonathan Capehart on "The Sunday Show" on MSNBC. "I don't think his lawyers will want him to show up because he has to testify under oath. But I don't think he'll show up. I don't think he's man enough. We'll see."
When the committee voted unanimously earlier this month to subpoena Trump, he sent a letter repeating his false claims about the 2020 election.
"We'll see if he's man enough to show up, and the public should make a judgment. No one is above the law. If we believe that, then they should make a judgment about how he responds to that request," Pelosi said Sunday.
The speaker added that if Trump doesn't comply with the subpoena, then citizens can conclude "that he thinks he is above the law."
—Acyn (@Acyn) October 23, 2022
"Whatever actions the committee may take is up to them. I've kept my distance from their decision-making, but whatever they decide will also send a message about his respect," Pelosi said of Trump. "He isn't honoring the oath we take to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. That's a serious oath that we all take, and clearly, most of us had more respect for the office he held than he had."
Members of the Jan. 6 panel have maintained Trump is "required by law" to comply with the subpoena. Rep. Adam Kinzinger previously said that the DOJ holding Trump in criminal contempt is "a bridge we cross if we have to," while Rep. Liz Cheney warned that Trump will not be permitted to "turn this into a circus."
Trump has not said whether he will comply with the subpoena, though he has privately mused that he might comply if his testimony is broadcast live, according to The New York Times.
Trump could try to delay the proceedings, waiting them out until Republicans likely retake the House in November. The committee is set to dissolve along with the 117th Congress on January 3, 2023.