[Retrofitted]

Okay, I'm confused. If President Trump doesn't show up, that's contempt of Congress, right? Gets handed off to the AG and all that stuff for prosecution?

So what's to negotiate? What am I missing?

[mewzilla]

That this is just an attempt to goose what’s left of their voting base into turning out on Election Day?

[JohnnyP]

Trump should demand copies of ALL video being withheld by Pelosi from Jan. 5 and Jan 6.

[Political Junkie Too]

Okay, I'm confused. If President Trump doesn't show up, that's contempt of Congress, right? Gets handed off to the AG and all that stuff for prosecution? So what's to negotiate? What am I missing?

I've argued that President Trump does not have to show up because he can claim separation of powers.

The Committee is demanding that he appear before them to explain his actions on or before January 6th, while he was still President. The President is a co-equal branch of government and does not answer to Congress outside of an impeachment trial. Lesser officers, like Cabinet members who are confirmed by Congress must appear when called, but not the President.

In fact, Article II Section 3 gives the President the power to "on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them," and also "in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper..." This means that the President has the limited power to both convene and adjourn Congress, but Congress does not have the power to order the President to appear before them.

President Trump is no longer in office, but I believe he can argue that he's still protected for actions taken while he was President. He does not have to justify his presidential actions to Congress outside of an impeachment trial in the Senate.

-PJ