As Trump misses Jan. 6 subpoena deadline, what happens now? - MSNBC

It was a fewer weeks agone erstwhile the Jan. 6 committee took the bold measurement of subpoenaing Donald Trump for grounds and documents. “In short,” the bipartisan sheet told the Republican, “you were astatine the halfway of the archetypal and lone effort by immoderate U.S. President to overturn an predetermination and obstruct the peaceful modulation of power, yet culminating successful a bloody onslaught connected our ain Capitol and connected the Congress itself.”

As portion of the ineligible directive, lawmakers gave Trump until Nov. 14 — aft the midterm elections — to attest nether oath and reply investigators’ questions. But the committee’s subpoena besides told the erstwhile president to crook implicit respective documents by Nov. 4 — including immoderate communications helium had regarding extremist groups, specified arsenic the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, and imaginable interactions helium had with witnesses testifying earlier the Jan. 6 committee.

Nov. 4 was precocious past week. Trump and his lawyers did not crook implicit the materials. As NBC News reported, the sheet agreed to widen the deadline.

The House committee investigating the onslaught connected the Capitol gave erstwhile President Donald Trump an other week to supply requested documents aft lawmakers said Friday that they did not person immoderate records from a subpoena issued past period successful transportation with the Jan. 6 riot.

In a written statement, the panel’s bipartisan enactment — Democratic Chairman Bennie Thompson and Republican Vice Chair Liz Cheney — acknowledging having heard from the erstwhile president and his ineligible team. “We person received correspondence from the erstwhile President and his counsel successful transportation with the Select Committee’s subpoena,” they said, without elaborating connected what the correspondence said.

The connection added, “We person informed the erstwhile President’s counsel that helium indispensable statesman producing records nary aboriginal than adjacent week and helium remains nether subpoena for deposition grounds starting connected November 14th.”

In different words, Team Trump didn’t entirely stroke disconnected the preliminary deadline. There was immoderate benignant of interaction, which the committee interpreted arsenic constructive, and which led to the erstwhile president having different week to comply with the subpoena.

To perceive Cheney archer it, the process volition advance. “The committee is successful discussions with President Trump’s attorneys, and helium has an work to comply,” the outgoing Wyoming congresswoman said past week.

As a New York Times report went connected to note, Cheney went connected to accidental that the erstwhile president should not beryllium allowed to dictate the presumption of his committee interview. “This is not a concern wherever the committee is going to enactment itself astatine the mercy of Donald Trump successful presumption of his efforts to make a circus,” Cheney said, adding, “We haven’t made determinations astir the format itself, but it volition beryllium done nether oath; it volition beryllium done perchance implicit aggregate days.”

In theory, this mightiness dependable encouraging for those who enactment the investigation. A legislature subpoena isn’t a request, truthful overmuch arsenic it’s a ineligible order, and Trump shouldn’t person overmuch of a prime astir compliance.

In practice, however, he’s apt to simply tally retired the clock: As we’ve discussed, the pending summons volition expire astatine the extremity of the existent Congress, which volition wrapper up successful astir 57 days. If Americans elite a Republican bulk successful the House, arsenic appears likely, the prime committee’s enactment volition travel to an abrupt end. Even if the sheet and its investigators were to instrumentality the substance to court, oregon effort to determination guardant with immoderate benignant of contempt proceedings, it's unrealistic to deliberation the substance would beryllium resolved successful 57 days.

Circling backmost to our earlier coverage, this mightiness marque Trump look similar thing of a coward. The erstwhile president has had plentifulness to accidental astir Jan. 6 and the probe — successful blimpish media, astatine rallies, and online — but fixed a accidental to reply questions nether oath, Trump’s excessively acrophobic to respond to a ineligible subpoena? A illustration successful courageousness it is not.

Of course, arsenic his lawyers person astir apt explained to him, it’s amended to look similar a coward than to amusement up and present incriminating grounds successful the midst of aggregate investigations.