The House special committee investigating the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, is demanding an interview with Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos about a July phone call in which former President Donald Trump tried to cajole him into decertifying the 2020 election results.
Mr. Vos, a Republican, responded by filing a lawsuit to quash the committee’s subpoena, which was delivered Saturday with a demand to appear within 48 hours on Monday.
He said the Jan. 6 panel was rushing to get multimedia clips for its hearing on Wednesday.
“The committee is demanding Speaker Vos appear for a deposition to answer questions irrelevant to the Committee’s investigation, with virtually no notice, in the closing days of his reelection campaign, merely because of the Committee’s public relations scheme,” court papers filed in federal court in Wisconsin say.
The Jan. 6 committee says it wants Mr. Vos to divulge more about the call that occurred in the wake of a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that said absentee-ballot drop boxes must be exclusively located inside election offices in future elections.
“The circumstances and details regarding your interactions with former President Trump related to the 2020 election are relevant to the Select Committee’s investigation and proposed recommendations,” read a Friday letter to Mr. Vos from Jan. 6 panel Chairman Bennie Thompson, Mississippi Democrat.
Over the summer, Mr. Trump linked the Wisconsin court ruling to his complaints about the widespread use of absentee ballots in the 2020 election he lost to President Biden.
Mr. Trump blasted Mr. Vos after the speaker declined during their phone call to revisit the election results in Wisconsin, a vital swing state that Mr. Biden won.
“Looks like Speaker Robin Vos, a long time professional RINO always looking to guard his flank, will be doing nothing about the amazing Wisconsin Supreme Court decision,” Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, using a pejorative referring to “Republican in Name Only.”
Mr. Vos told WISN12 News that he tried to explain his position to Mr. Trump.
“He makes his case, which I respect. He would like us to do something different in Wisconsin. I explained it’s not allowed under the constitution. He has a different opinion, and then he put out the tweet. So that’s it,” he said.
Mr. Vos also said Mr. Trump did not understand the impact of the ruling.
“The court case as you read it does not go back and say what happened in 2020 was illegal,” Mr. Vos said. “It just says going forward it can’t happen.”
House Democratic leaders established the special committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in which a pro-Trump crowd breached the Capitol while lawmakers tried to certify the election results that cemented Mr. Biden’s win.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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