While there was nothing of substance – having legal implications – in the latest so-called “hearing” of the January 6th Select Committee, two events resulted in the most coverage. They are the video taken and produced by House Speaker Pelosi’s daughter and the subpoena of President Trump. I dealt with the video in a previous commentary, so what about the subpoena?
It was nothing more than a political stunt designed to keep the Trump issue before the public in advance of the midterm elections. That is because the closest thing to certainty is that Trump will never be COMPELLED to testify before the Select Committee. He may volunteer if the Committee agrees to his terms, but I do not think he is sincere – or that they will agree.
The Committee (Congress) does not have the power to compel Trump. They can only take the next step and send a referral over to the Department of Justice – asking Attorney General Merrick Garland to file contempt of Congress charges against Trump. It is questionable whether the Committee will go that far – but if they do, it is unlikely that Garland will press the charges.
Even if both the Committee and Garland were hell-bent on aggressively pursuing the contempt of Congress case, it would be months and months before the case was decided – maybe even more than a year.
Pelosi and the members of her kangaroo Select Committee know all that. They know the subpoena will never bring Trump before the Committee. So why bother? It is just a cheap political stunt by a Committee that has been engaged in a 10-month political stunt.
Finally, Pelosi and the members of the Committee are sufficiently savvy to know that it is very very likely that Republicans will be in charge of the House in January. That means the quashing of the subpoena – and the merciful end of the Select Committee.
So, there ‘tis.