Trump lawyers ‘in discussions’ over possible appearance before the Jan. 6 committee: Rep. Liz Cheney

Former President Donald Trump’s lawyers have opened negotiations with the Jan. 6 committee about a possible appearance under oath, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said Tuesday.

The nine-member panel issued a letter to Trump’s lawyers late last week demanding his testimony, either at the Capitol or by videoconference, “beginning on or about” Nov. 14 and continuing for multiple days if necessary. The letter also outlined a sweeping request for documents, including personal communications between Trump and members of Congress as well as extremist groups.

The subpoena calls on Trump to hand over documents by Nov. 4 and provide testimony “on or about” Nov. 14.

Cheney, a fierce critic of Trump, said any Trump appearance would be “done, potentially, over multiple days” because of the sheer volume of questions the panel has about the former president’s involvement in every aspect of the scheme to overturn the 2020 election.

To avoid a complicated and protracted legal battle, Trump reportedly had told associates he might consider complying with the subpoena if he could answer questions during live testimony.

When asked if the committee would consider taking his testimony live, Cheney said they would not allow Trump’s testimony to turn into a “food fight” on TV — much as was seen, she said, in Trump’s broadcast appearances such as one of his 2020 presidential debates — and she warned that the committee will take action if he does not comply with the subpoena.

“We are going to proceed in terms of the questioning of the former president under oath,” Cheney, R-Wyo., said on “Meet the Press” on NBC last month. “It may take multiple days, and it will be done with a level of rigor and discipline and seriousness that it deserves. We are not going to allow — he’s not going to turn this into a circus.”

It is unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond. He could comply or negotiate with the committee, announce he will defy the subpoena or ignore it altogether. He could go to court and try to stop it.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has already voiced her doubts that Trump would appear for his deposition and that the public should know “that no one is above the law.”

“I don’t think he’s man enough to show up,” Pelosi said on MSNBC on Oct. 23. “I don’t think his lawyers would want him to show up because he (would) had to testify under oath. ... We’ll see.”

There remains little legal advantage for Trump to cooperate with the committee at a time when he faces other legal battles in various jurisdictions, including over his family business in New York and the handling of presidential records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

With News Wire Services