A federal judge has thwarted former President Donald Trump's attempt to subpoena information linked to the House investigation into the January 6, 2021, US Capitol riot. The judge, Tanya Chutkan, deemed the request a "fishing expedition," asserting that it lacked a genuine effort to obtain identified evidence.
Trump, along with his legal team, aimed to subpoena Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House Jan. 6 select committee, and other government officials regarding allegedly "missing materials" from the committee's archives.
"The broad scope of the records that Defendant seeks, and his vague description of their potential relevance, resemble less ‘a good faith effort to obtain identified evidence' than they do ‘a general ‘fishing expedition' that attempts to use the [Rule 17(c) subpoena] as a discovery device," she wrote.
Back in August, Rep Thompson had clarified that the committee did not retain records of materials unused in hearings or publications, prompting Trump's lawyers to question whether such materials had been "lost, destroyed, or altered."
"The Select Committee did not archive temporary committee records that were not elevated by the Committee's actions, such as use in hearings or official publications, or those that did not further its investigative activities," Thompson wrote.
"Accordingly, and contrary to your letter's implication, the Select Committee was not obligated to archive all video recordings of transcribed interviews or depositions," Thompson wrote in August while responding to allegations from Rep Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) that records were "missing."
Rep Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Oversight for the Committee on House Administration, who is leading an investigation into the Jan. 6 committee's work, also faced a subpoena from Trump, which was denied along with others.
Trump's attempt to subpoena key figures, including the archivist of the National Archives and Records Administration, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Special Counsel to the President Richard Sauber, and General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security Johnathan Meyer, was part of the rejected request.
"So denying the use of potential exculpatory evidence is ok now? Yeap, our justice system is dead," one posted on X (formerly Twitter).
"Of course, they have to protect the j6 committee," another wrote.
"No way this guy is getting a fair trial," a comment read.
"All this is doing is setting the precedence that judges can deny anyone a fair trial. For all you people who hate Warp Speed Don and think it's funny won't when they turn it on you," someone else offered.
"There's no reason to deny it unless the judge is complicit in a cover-up," another alleged.
Trump, along with his legal team, aimed to subpoena Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the chairman of the House Jan. 6 select committee, and other government officials regarding allegedly "missing materials" from the committee's archives.
Judge denies subpoena request
Judge Chutkan, in her order denying the subpoena request, expressed concern over the broad scope of the records sought and the vague description of their potential relevance."The broad scope of the records that Defendant seeks, and his vague description of their potential relevance, resemble less ‘a good faith effort to obtain identified evidence' than they do ‘a general ‘fishing expedition' that attempts to use the [Rule 17(c) subpoena] as a discovery device," she wrote.
Back in August, Rep Thompson had clarified that the committee did not retain records of materials unused in hearings or publications, prompting Trump's lawyers to question whether such materials had been "lost, destroyed, or altered."
"The Select Committee did not archive temporary committee records that were not elevated by the Committee's actions, such as use in hearings or official publications, or those that did not further its investigative activities," Thompson wrote.
"Accordingly, and contrary to your letter's implication, the Select Committee was not obligated to archive all video recordings of transcribed interviews or depositions," Thompson wrote in August while responding to allegations from Rep Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) that records were "missing."
Rep Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Oversight for the Committee on House Administration, who is leading an investigation into the Jan. 6 committee's work, also faced a subpoena from Trump, which was denied along with others.
Trump's attempt to subpoena key figures, including the archivist of the National Archives and Records Administration, the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Special Counsel to the President Richard Sauber, and General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security Johnathan Meyer, was part of the rejected request.
Social media reactions
The judge's decision, however, has sparked a backlash from Trump supporters on social media, with many expressing concerns about the denial of potential exculpatory evidence and questioning the fairness of the trial."So denying the use of potential exculpatory evidence is ok now? Yeap, our justice system is dead," one posted on X (formerly Twitter).
"Of course, they have to protect the j6 committee," another wrote.
"No way this guy is getting a fair trial," a comment read.
"All this is doing is setting the precedence that judges can deny anyone a fair trial. For all you people who hate Warp Speed Don and think it's funny won't when they turn it on you," someone else offered.
"There's no reason to deny it unless the judge is complicit in a cover-up," another alleged.
