Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, asserted on October 23 that former president Donald Trump is too much of a coward to abide by a subpoena issued by the US Congress requiring him to appear before a special committee looking into his involvement in the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Trump was formally served with a subpoena by the committee on October 21, requiring him to deliver important documents by November 4 and testify before the committee by November 14, roughly one week after the midterm elections.

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On The Sunday Show on MSNBC, Pelosi asserted, “I don’t think he’s man enough to show up. 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.” The speaker continued, saying that if Trump ignores the subpoena, people will assume “that he thinks he is above the law.”

Trump is “required by law” to abide by the subpoena

When the committee unanimously voted earlier this month to subpoena Trump, he responded with a letter repeating his false claims about the 2020 election. Trump is “required by law” to abide by the subpoena, according to members of the January 6 panel. Rep. Liz Cheney warned that Trump will not be allowed to “turn this into a circus,” while Rep. Adam Kinzinger previously stated that the DOJ’s decision to hold Trump in criminal contempt is “a bridge we cross if we have to.”

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Earlier, the New York Times reported that although the ex-US President has not publicly declared his intention to abide by the subpoena, he has privately considered doing so if his testimony is live-streamed. Trump may attempt to stall the proceedings in order to wait until the likely November House Republican victory. It is worth mentioning here that the committee will be dissolved on January 3, 2023, along with the 117th Congress.