The select committee investigating the 6 January Capitol riot is reportedly considering issuing a subpoena to Ivanka Trump – a move that would make her the first member of the Trump family obliged to testify to the panel.
According to TheGuardian, the panel may issue Donald Trump’s daughter with an official summons to testify if she refuses to co-operate with its inquiry, as certain others in the inner Trump orbit have done already.
Ms Trump’s role in the events of 6 January and the days before it is not entirely clear, but in a letter to her last month, the committee’s members said they had evidence she played a direct role in trying to get the then-leader to intervene during the riot.
“Testimony obtained by the committee indicates that members of the White House staff requested your assistance on multiple occasions to intervene in an attempt to persuade President Trump to address the ongoing lawlessness and violence on Capitol Hill,” read the letter, which also stated that Ms Trump had been present in the Oval Office during one of her father’s conversations with Mike Pence as he tried to pressure the then-vice president to throw out the results of the election.
“The committee would like to discuss any other conversations you may have witnessed or participated in regarding the president’s plan to obstruct or impede the counting of electoral votes,” wrote the committee.
It is not yet clear whether Ms Trump will co-operate with the request.
Along with the testimony the panel says it has received, there have been various reports that she was a key conduit to her father for people trying to convince him to call off his supporters while they violently broke into the Capitol and attacked police officers.
Among those claiming to have spoken to her during the riot is South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, long one of Mr Trump’s top allies on Capitol Hill. According to reports last year, he called her during the riot to tell her: “You need to get these people out of here. This thing is going south. This is not good. You’re going to have to tell these people to stand down. Stand down.”
