Trump’s Official Summons to Congress
We had previously reported that the U.S. House of Representatives’ investigative committee voted to summon Trump to provide testimony and explanations, and to hand over documents regarding the January 6th insurrection by him and his supporters. However, various media, especially in Iran, overlooked the significant aspects of this event.
The official summons for Trump was issued on the same day that Steve Bannon, a key member of his inner circle and one of the darkest and most destructive figures of far-right politics in the U.S. and the world, was sentenced to prison for refusing to cooperate with Congress and failing to appear before the investigative committee. The committee members skillfully summoned Trump parallel to Bannon’s conviction to remind him of the dangers of not appearing before the investigative committee.
To prevent any questioning and manage potential attacks from Republicans, the date for Trump’s appearance before the committee was set after the contentious 2022 election day, so the committee would not be accused of trying to influence the election results.
The investigative committee’s efforts in recent months to present serious and shocking evidence about the depth of the insurrection and Trump’s betrayal have been noteworthy. However, they have had little impact among Trump’s supporters, and polls do not indicate any significant success or change of opinion among Republican voters, particularly Trump supporters.
In the 2022 elections, concerns about the future of American democracy and the threats posed by Trump’s supporters to the country’s democratic structure are not among voters’ priorities. American citizens are more concerned about inflation and livelihood. Even if concerns about the future of democracy are raised, all polls again depict a polarized America. Republicans are also worried about the future of democracy, many of them concerned because they believe the claims of fraud in the 2020 election, based on which Trump attempted an electoral coup, and fear a repeat of a fraud that did not happen.