Capitol attack panel votes to subpoena Trump – ‘the central cause of January 6’

A congressional panel has voted to compel Donald Trump to testify under oath after naming the former president as the "central cause" of the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6.

The House of Representatives select committee investigating last year's riot voted unanimously on Thursday to subpoena Trump for testimony and documents in what may prove a mostly symbolic gesture, given time constraints and his likely legal resistance.

"We have left no doubt - none - that Donald Trump led an effort to upend American democracy that directly resulted in the violence of January 6," said Bennie Thompson, chair of the committee, watched by police officers who defended the Capitol that day.

"He tried to take away the voice of the American people in choosing their president and replace the will of the voters with his will to remain in power. He is the one person at the center of the story of what happened on January 6. So we want to hear from him."

Although some members of Trump's inner circle, including his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, have testified to the committee, the House minority leader, Kevin McCarthy, and four fellow Republicans have ignored subpoenas. The panel is set to dissolve soon after next month's midterm elections if Republicans gain control of the House.

Trump responded to the subpoena via his Truth Social platform but did not say whether he would comply. "Why didn't the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago?" he wrote. "Why did they wait until the very end, the final moments of their last meeting? Because the Committee is a total 'BUST'."

The select committee has been investigating the attack on the Capitol for more than a year, interviewing more than 1,000 witnesses. It surpassed many observers' expectations over the summer with a series of hearings that, polls suggest, convinced some Republicans that Trump bears some responsibility for the riot.