The House select committee investigating the January 6 US Capitol attack announced Friday that it has officially sent a subpoena to former US President Donald Trump, media reports said.
The committee issued the subpoena to try to compel Trump to sit for a deposition under oath and to provide documents. The panel is ordering Trump to turn over documents by November 4 and either appear in person or virtually for "one or more days of deposition testimony beginning on or about November 14," reported CNN.
Earlier, investigators held eight public hearings in June and July as part of the inquiry, which Trump, a Republican, has denounced as a political "witch hunt" launched by Democrats.
On January 6 last year, thousands of individuals -- mostly Trump's supporters -- stormed the Capitol in Washington DC and disrupted a joint session of Congress to affirm the 2020 presidential election results.
This incident is considered one of the worst attacks on the U.S. Congress in more than 200 years and led to Trump's second impeachment by the House of Representatives shortly before his term officially ended.
Moreover, Trump's advisor Steve Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison on Friday for contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena from the January 6 committee -2021 attack on the Capitol and was also fined USD 6,500.
United States District Judge Carl Nichols imposed the sentence on Friday and also ordered Bannon to pay a fine of USD 6,500, reported Al Jazeera.
Bannon was found guilty in July of two counts of contempt of Congress. Friday's sentencing is a milestone moment in the Department of Justice's January 6 response, as prosecutors say by "flouting" the subpoena, Bannon "exacerbated" the assault on the rule of law that the US Capitol attack amounted to, reported CNN.
According to the January 6 committee, Bannon spoke with Trump at least twice on the day before the Capitol riot last year, attended a planning meeting at a Washington hotel, and said on his right-wing podcast that "all hell is going to break loose tomorrow".
Bannon plans to appeal sentencing for contempt of Congress conviction over his refusal to comply with the January 6 panel.
Earlier this week, US prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Bannon to six months in prison, while Bannon's lawyers had sought probation, after the 68-year-old in July was convicted of two counts of contempt of Congress.
Each count was punishable by 30 days to one year in prison and a fine ranging between USD100 to USD 100,000, reported Al Jazeera.
( With inputs from ANI )
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