Under penalty of what?
That's the first question posed by editor Pug Mahoney when he heard that a Congressional committee would issue a subpoena for Donald Trump to appear and answer questions about his alleged role in encouraging the march on the nation's Capitol on Jan. 6 last year.
Second question: What if he refuses?
Third question: How will the panel try to force the ex-president to appear?
Fourth question: Will he plead Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination? And does a Congressional hearing amount to a legal trial of some sort?
Refusing to answer questions because any response might be incriminating suggests the refuser is hiding something.
Potential guilt, perhaps?
There is also the likelihood of a strategy to delay any further hearings until after Election Day, in the hope that members of the investigating committee will not be re-elected, and the panel will be dismantled.
That would mean any outstanding summonses would be moot, and the investigation of the events of that fateful day would end.
At least, the probe by this Congressional panel would stop. Any probe by the Justice Department seeking to expose criminal activity could continue. So also would investigations by other agencies, both criminal and civil probes, done by federal or state officials.
We live in interesting times.
Already, there have been several convictions of those who participated in the Jan. 6 unrest, and evidence is piling up that the ex-president knew about and may have participated in the planning.
If convicted of a criminal offense, especially one that amounted to treason, the perpetrator would not be able to serve in any government office, federal or state. That is specified in the Constitution's 14th Amendment.
Final question: If Donald Trump is convicted of plotting to overthrow the government, as is suggested by the events before, during and after the events of Jan. 6, will he ignore the Constitution, Congress and the courts, run for office again and more openly lead another insurrection?
If that happens, America would have to rely on its traditionally non-political military and police forces to quell such an insurrection.
Assuming the military and police remain non-political.
That's the first question posed by editor Pug Mahoney when he heard that a Congressional committee would issue a subpoena for Donald Trump to appear and answer questions about his alleged role in encouraging the march on the nation's Capitol on Jan. 6 last year.
Second question: What if he refuses?
Third question: How will the panel try to force the ex-president to appear?
Fourth question: Will he plead Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination? And does a Congressional hearing amount to a legal trial of some sort?
Refusing to answer questions because any response might be incriminating suggests the refuser is hiding something.
Potential guilt, perhaps?
There is also the likelihood of a strategy to delay any further hearings until after Election Day, in the hope that members of the investigating committee will not be re-elected, and the panel will be dismantled.
That would mean any outstanding summonses would be moot, and the investigation of the events of that fateful day would end.
At least, the probe by this Congressional panel would stop. Any probe by the Justice Department seeking to expose criminal activity could continue. So also would investigations by other agencies, both criminal and civil probes, done by federal or state officials.
We live in interesting times.
Already, there have been several convictions of those who participated in the Jan. 6 unrest, and evidence is piling up that the ex-president knew about and may have participated in the planning.
If convicted of a criminal offense, especially one that amounted to treason, the perpetrator would not be able to serve in any government office, federal or state. That is specified in the Constitution's 14th Amendment.
Final question: If Donald Trump is convicted of plotting to overthrow the government, as is suggested by the events before, during and after the events of Jan. 6, will he ignore the Constitution, Congress and the courts, run for office again and more openly lead another insurrection?
If that happens, America would have to rely on its traditionally non-political military and police forces to quell such an insurrection.
Assuming the military and police remain non-political.
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