NEW DEMAND: Trump Wants Americans To Pay His ‘Expenses’ Including Legal Fees in Suit Blocking Jan. 6 Committee Subpoena
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Former President Donald Trump has demanded Americans foot the bill for his “expenses” in a new filing that seeks to invalidate the January 6 Committee subpoena.
The January 6 Committee held its purported final hearing several weeks ago, which featured never-before-seen evidence and testimony, new footage of the attack from inside and outside the Capitol, and climaxed with a dramatic vote to subpoena Trump.
Trump is scheduled to be deposed by the committee on Monday after an attempt to delay his testimony. But in a last-minute filing Friday night, Trump’s lawyers threw everything including the kitchen sink at the order to testify:
Former President Donald J. Trump filed suit on Friday against the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, seeking to block the panel’s subpoena that required him to testify and hand over documents related to the effort to overturn the 2020 election.
The 41-page lawsuit, filed in federal court in Florida, comes just days before Mr. Trump was scheduled to appear before the panel for a deposition on Monday. The panel had been in discussions with Mr. Trump’s lawyers and had given them additional time to begin producing documents.
The suit seeks to declare the subpoena invalid for a variety of reasons, including that it is overly broad and unnecessary. Mr. Trump’s lawyers say the subpoena lacks a legislative purpose and infringes upon executive privilege and his First Amendment rights.
Toward the end of the suit is the fun detail that Trump and his lawyers want taxpayers to foot the bill for any subpoena-related costs. The suit demands “An award in favor of President Trump for his reasonable expenses, including attorney’s fees and costs incurred as a result of the Subpoena.”
As the New York Times notes, the delay this suit will likely cause could run out the clock for Trump if Republicans succeed in taking the majority in the House of Representatives and disband the committee, as they have promised to do.
